These are the Days
by ButterfliAngel
Summary: Oliver Wood & Others Can two members of the opposite sex be just friends? Can they survive when it becomes something more? Read and Have Fun. Review
1. Default Chapter

Dungeons, the light making the smallest move I make seem exaggerated, as I lean against the wall biting my hand so that I don't make a sound I can hear someone coming he can't catch me down here. I'll be expelled. He's getting closer the only thing I can hope is that I blend into the surrounding enough that I'm not noticed. I can see the torch light coming. I am suddenly very aware of the fact that I need to pee, why is it when your adrenaline is going you realize things you never would have otherwise. I hear the footsteps getting closer, and closer.  
  
'Pop' and sunlight  
  
"Get up, its almost 8" said the voice that was all to familiar  
  
I bury my head further into my pillow hoping that maybe if he thinks I'm still asleep he'll go away.  
  
"I'm counting to 3 and then I will yank you out of that bed." I hear him round the end of my bed preparing his attack. "One.. Two..."  
  
I sit straight up in bed "I'm up, I'm up, now will you go away."  
  
Allow me to explain, my name is Amy, and I have just been rudely awakened by a boy who literally just popped into my room. It if wasn't such a normal occurrence I would think it strange but it happens at least twice a week.  
  
The above-mentioned boy, who is now talking about things that my brain is not even registering, is Oliver. And unfortunately I have known him sense approximately 8 years old.  
  
"Your dad and I were just discussing my new training program, he thinks that my plans for this season will work, and he agrees that we deserve this." he looks up from his pacing "Amy are you even paying attention to me, this is really important its my last year, If I don't win I will kill."  
  
I lay there eyeing the strange boy "I know, I know Quid ditch If you loose this year your life will fall apart. Nothing will make sense." I propped my self up onto my elbows and lean forward "That's the only reason you keep my around isn't it, because my dad used to play for the pros, and you need his tips to help you out, never mind that you get to meet your heroes."  
  
"No I keep you around because you are entertaining," was the only response I got before he launched into another lecture.  
  
Now I need to remind all of you, I am not on his team, nor do I even play the game, I lack the hand eye coordination to be very good at it, You can imagine the shock of my father when he realized that neither one of his children were good enough to make the house teams let alone go on to play professionally. Enter Oliver, my parents went to Hogwarts with his, our fathers had been housemates, roommates, and teammates. When Oliver started to play as a kid, my father had received a proud phone call from the Wood's to tell, my dad all about. From then on I was stuck with him.  
  
My dad trusted Oliver like he was his own son, which would explain why this 17-year-old boy was in his 16-year-old daughters room with the door closed. Oliver's mind was in one place, on his game and my father knew that.  
  
Our mothers on the other hand had different plans, every once in awhile we'd walk into the house to hear them planning our future. What the wedding would be like, how cute our kids would be. At which point we'd exchange this look, go back outside and leave them to their deluded fantasy.  
  
This is what I'm thinking about as I walk around my room gathering things to wear for the day, we were going shopping for supplies, so we had to make the trip to Diagon Alley, and our parents had to come with so they could run into all there old friends. Pretty sure we were meeting up with the Weasley's somewhere down there.  
  
"Amy, can I borrow your blue shirt. Ya know the one that you said I.... Oh he's here." bratty little sister had just entered the room. "Well can I?"  
  
"Um like I told you last week the last time you asked me. NO. Any other questions?" she glared at me.  
  
"You don't even wear it Am."  
  
"Emily I said no, now get out," I was pulling her by the arm out of the room "you have a whole wardrobe full of clothes wear some of your own. Ask mom maybe when we are in London we can stop and find some cool stuff." That statement made her glare soften. I then closed the door in her face.  
  
"You should have just lent it to her." said Oliver "She's right you never wear it anyway."  
  
"Hey for someone who doesn't have any siblings you sure do know a lot about them." I said sarcastically, "When you have a little clothes thief share a house with you for 13 years you'll understand."  
  
"I wish I had siblings, then I would have someone to teach all my Quidditch knowledge to." He said flipping through a magazine he had picked up off the floor.  
  
"With your luck you'd get a sister, who just like me could not play to save her life."  
  
"You think it bothered your dad that you just gave up," Looking at me quizzically  
  
"For your information I did not give up, I was told I could no longer play" I yelled from inside my walk in closet which looking like the clothes had just exploded from the shelves onto the floor. "I'm sure you have heard this story, before" I said exiting victoriously with the blue shirt my sister so desperately wanted to wear "Mom forbid me from ever playing again, It was the second time dad had ever let me play without him securely behind me on the broom, And this big nasty kid hit a bludger into my chest, which both knocked the wind out of me and caused me to fall over 20 feet to the ground below. Mom freaked out. Course she did this while I was unconscious at the hospital, knocked me out for a whole 3 weeks."  
  
"Ya ya likely story, you just stunk, so your dad didn't want to be embarrassed. Imagine a professional player with a kid who can't even control her own broom." he laughed while dodging the shoe that I had just flung across the room at him. "Your going to wear that just to irritate her aren't you?"  
  
"Yes sir I am, It is mine ya know I did buy it with the little money that I did make at my horrible job. Scooping Ice cream, honestly you think muggles would be able to come up with an easier way to do that."  
  
"I still don't understand why your parents made you get that job in the first place. It's not like your going to...."  
  
"Because" I stopped him in mid sentence I did not need for him to hear the same lecture I had been receiving all summer long. "I need to know how to survive in both the wizarding and the non-wizarding world. In case I ever need to leave this one for the other."  
  
My parents had always been like that. They insisted that Emily and I be as aware of what was going on outside the wizarding world as we were about our normal surroundings. We lived in a muggle neighborhood, attended muggle schools until we received our Hogwarts letters. Mom had always said it was such a shock for her to have to blend in, so she figured she'd make it easier on her children. When Voldermort had been his most powerful, my parents left, moved to the States to make sure their family would be safe, and thanks to them Em and I have the strangest accents. But it was great I got the best of both worlds. And I could make every person who came into Hogwarts, pure bloods or not feel comfortable, or at least that's what the told me when they made me a prefect.  
  
"You wouldn't actually do that would you, run away if there ever came a time to fight him." he said almost daring me to respond. "Would you leave all your friends in a time when they needed you?"  
  
"I don't know I guess it really depends on the circumstances, If my parents wouldn't have fled, Emily and I wouldn't have parents, They got into to far over there heads to do anything but run." I said with a shrug.  
  
I watched him set down the magazine. Almost disappointed with my answer. I really needed to change the subject or this would turn into a conversation that I really didn't want to have at 8:30 in the morning. I didn't get to see the whole Wood family very often. And I wasn't going to let this stupid argument ruin another outing.  
  
"Ok lets go, I'm hungry maybe we can make my parents stop on the way to the Leaky Cauldron for some real food." He seemed to sense that I wasn't in the mood and just let it drop.  
  
"Ya, ok."  
  
I opened my door only to have my sister and three of her dumb friends fall at my feet. It seemed that they had been informed that Oliver was in my room, "Idiots." I muttered as I stepped over them. Oliver on the other hand always the gentleman stopped to help them up. It's amazing the shade of red 13 year olds can take on when they are embarrassed. I could tell they probably wouldn't wash that hand for a couple of weeks. Note to self keep away from those three.  
  
"Why do you have to encourage them," I say once he has successfully turned each one of them an annoying shade of crimson "Should have just left them lying there maybe then they will leave you alone. Once of course the realize what an ass you are"  
  
He just shook his head, "Are you crazy, three girls falling all over themselves over me and you want me to just leave them on the floor." It was just in the last year or so that he'd realized how much attention he actually received quite annoying really.  
  
"Oh yes how stupid of me you alienate them and then your supply of skanks is going to run out."  
  
"Besides if I ignored them it would probably just lead more girls into thinking I was some sort of bad boy." He stopped in his tracks, "Your right I should have just left them there, then they would have told all the other girls in there houses what an ass I am and more would have come my way"  
  
"Eww gross," Stopping in the hallway "no girl is actually that dumb to want a guy that is mean to her all the time." I had now leaned myself up against the wall so that he couldn't get through "at least not the right kind of girl"  
  
"Who said I was looking for the right kind of girl" He replied grinning, and that's all she wrote for my plan of blocking the kitchen with one swift motion from his hip I was down for the count, flat on my ass in the doorway. "The right now girl would be just fine." He continued while offering me his hand  
  
"Does it look like I need your help to get up, I'm perfectly fine," and I was up and at his side,  
  
"You really think that's a good way to go through life, moving from one girl to the next." And then it hit me two deep conversations in a span of less then 40 minutes. "Ya know what forget I said anything, it's none of my business anyway, the less I know about that aspect of your life the better."  
  
"Damn" I heard from the doorway, the idiots had followed, I'll have to remember to kill Emily later on tonight. I really didn't get it; it was Oliver, the same boy who had forced me to climb a tree when we were kids to make sure it was safe for him to climb. The same guy who I had seen get so pissed off over a stupid game that I thought steam would come out of his ears.  
  
This wasn't a new thing. Girls following, I was just not used to it in my own house. I had many a so-called friend start talking to me, because they thought I could get them in with Oliver. What they failed to realize was that he did actually value my opinion, and if I did on the off chance hook them up, the more I complained about them the faster they went away.  
  
So here I am standing in my kitchen, looking at this guy I've known my whole life trying to figure out what the attraction is. And the thought he looks just like his dad keeps popping into my head. That's just wrong. Nope not seeing it, sure he's not bad looking but to have the following he has at school, there seriously must be something wrong with these girls. He does have an amazing body, all that working out has done wonders for him, and well his features are soft, not at all like those carved in stone looking guy on all the Abercrombie catalogs. And his eyes, brown, like a chocolate color, kind of make him seem mysterious.  
  
"What? Something wrong? Do I not match or something?" he said running his hand over his clothes as if magically they'd look better if that was the reason I was staring.  
  
"No nothing like that. Just trying to figure out what the attraction is." He raised his eyebrows "Ya I don't see it." and with that I turned and walked out into the garden.  
  
"Well lucky for me you don't have to," he stated matter of factly as he followed. "Plenty of other girls do." he spun me around and stuck his tongue out.  
  
"Well I think we can all fit in one car, wouldn't make sense to take two right." My Mom's always thinking ya know. I have a feeling that at one point my mom had a crush on Mr. Wood. A school girl thing because to this day if he catches her looking at him she blushes like mad. Not that I think anything ever happened between the two of them, my mom is way to committed to her family.  
  
That was one of the few things I could remember about the night he who must not be named met his end. Matt Wood literally popped into my kitchen, all the way in the states, to let my parents know what had happened. I was about four at the time and he scared the living crap out of me. I started to scream and my father came running down the stairs wand out, first time in a long time I'd seen him actually use it, and when he saw Matt, well more like the look on Matt's face he burst into tears. And that was the first time I'd seen my father cry, He cried again when I woke up from my bludger accident. I was sent upstairs to get my mom. And then told to go to bed. I sat on the stairs and listened to him tell the story of the Potters. That stuck with me, and it wasn't until I was 13 or 14 that I realized just why we had been living in the States in the first place. My parents were scared. And because of that, I was scared, anything that could cause them to leave everything they knew and loved had to be bad, and I was terrified of the day that that fear would come back. 


	2. Chapter 2

We arrived that the leaky caldron in one piece, but just barely. We had somehow managed to squeeze 10 people into a car that was meant for about 6. I spent the entire time being cramped between the side of the car and Amy. Not a bad place to be if I do say so myself. But have you ever had that feeling that you were being watched, try it for 45 minutes, by 4 rabid 13 year olds. Not fun. I sat there watching Amy reach around two girls and pull her sisters hair so hard that I thought she was going to draw blood. It did make the girls stop staring for a few minutes, long enough for Amy and I to make our escape.  
  
We bolted from that car, and were only around long enough to collect the money for our supplies and go. I couldn't stand the idea of being followed around by those 4 all afternoon. Emily by herself wasn't a bad thing, but when she got together with those it was just plain scary.  
  
"Where too first?" Amy yelled while squeezing her way through the crowd.  
  
"Imagine finding you two here," I heard come from a disembodied voice. Amy spotted him first, Percy great, now the day would be super fun. Ahh but the twins were with, couldn't be that bad. Wrong again the whole Weasley family is here, along with Potter, and the Granger girl. Sometimes I wondered if those three did anything apart.  
  
"Ya just picking up the last of our supplies, I heard about your trip to Egypt that must have been amazing." Amy said more toward Mr. and Mrs. Weasley than to any of the kids. Unfortunately Ron was the first to respond  
  
"Ya it was bloody great. You should see the corpses that the old spells have deformed and things" Mrs. Weasley stepped in  
  
"It was a very nice trip, we all needed to just get away from awhile, Amy dear our your parents anywhere nearby?"  
  
Amy, not looking anywhere near as confused as I felt, just nodded and said, "Yes, I left them somewhere back there." Pointing to the crowd we had just made our way through.  
  
"Well run along dears, pick up your things, and meet us back here in exactly 2 hours." Mrs. Weasley said before disappearing through the crowd.  
  
I felt Amy grab my sleeve and pull, but it was too late. "So can we join you two?" It came from Percy, "I do need to keep on eye on the younger ones especially these two." he said shooting the twins a look. Not that they ever paid any attention to him.  
  
I nodded "of course Percy you're more than welcome to spend a few hours with us." He is my roommate after all I have to be nice.  
  
And we were off, we wandered from shop to shop, picking up our supplies, and buying things we didn't really need. Learned a lot of things that day. Percy was head boy. Did that mean he would no longer be my roommate? Let me clear something up here its not that I don't like Percy its just that he can be a royal pain once in awhile. And once you've gotten to know the twins like I do its hard to believe that they come from the same two people.  
  
As we were leaving the bookstore, I noticed Flint not to far away. Figures he'd be back for an 8th year how thick can you get, He does need to stay eligible, I don't get it. You can't tell me that he isn't half troll. Dammit he's making his way toward us.  
  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I guess its true the losers flock together" he said as he sauntered over to us. Oh and look he's brought his teammate.  
  
I opened my mouth to say something, probably unintelligent, but Amy beat me to it. "so did you come up with that all on your own, or did it take your 7 years of education."  
  
"Nobody asked your opinion now did they...." Draco Malfoy has made his presence known.  
  
"Now. Now Draco that's no way to talk to family, now is it. Amy I assume your parents are here with you somewhere." Lucius Malfoy asked eyeing her carefully. "They don't let you out of there sight now do they."  
  
"And for good reason, what with the likes of some wandering these streets who knows what could happen." Percy responded,  
  
He looked at Percy, and believe me if looks could kill we would all be saying goodbye to dear old Percy  
  
"Yes sir, they were meeting the Weasley's for a drink the last time I checked in with them," She smiled as he turned and walked away.  
  
Leaving us standing there with Marcus Flint, and his girlfriend, some 7th year that I didn't know the name of, how anyone could be attracted to him is beyond me. I don't like the way he's leering at Amy, not in the least, especially not with his girlfriend standing right there.  
  
"Can we do something for you Flint," I say hoping he'd take the hint and leave. No such luck to thick for that,  
  
"Ya Wood, I was just wondering if all the rumors about your pretty little girlfriend are true." He said and the 7th year laughed. I wanted to punch them. As if she hasn't been through enough now he has to throw it in her face. I stood their blood boiling inside of me. I couldn't believe it the whole school knew what happened; hell half of them were there. Last trip to Hogsmead last year, this older wizard had grabbed her and pulled her into an alley. Luckily, Hagrid happened to come upon the whole situation and literally threw the guy off of her; last anyone heard he was spending some quality time with the dementors.  
  
"Did we hear that she's a school prefect, and probably on her way to being head girl, ya that one we have heard." It came from Harry god bless that kid. "What have you heard." daring him to say something.  
  
And with that Flint gave us one last glare and turned around and walked away his ugly girlfriend steps behind him.  
  
"Well guys, we promised my parents we'd meet them half an hour ago, so we'd better be on our way." Percy, the boy with all the answers looked paler than I had ever seen him. As they turned to leave I watched Amy grab Harry by the arm and whisper something into his ear. He grinned from ear to ear as he walked away. I'll have to ask what that was all about later.  
  
Amy and I began to walk back to where we were supposed to meet the parental units, and as she walked there next to me, I just watched her. It was easy to see why so many guys were after her. She was one the prettiest girls in school. She was thin, but an athletic thin, not a twiggy thin, she got that from all the swimming, and running she did. What that girl lacked up in the air, she made up for in the water. She had light brown hair that stopped in the middle of her back that curled even though she never let anyone see it that way. But her best trait, her eyes, she had these amazing green and gold eyes, they had been like that for as long as I can remember, and they were the first thing you noticed about her. All around a pretty nice package.  
  
"Sorry about freezing up back there, If I would have said anything it probably would have been Marcus here's my fist I've been meaning to introduce him to you." I said trying to get her to laugh.  
  
"It's fine," she said cracking a smile. I looked at her not really believing that she wasn't mad at me, "Really Oliver not that big of a deal, he's an ass, and we've always known that, it runs in the family."  
  
I wanted to scream 'It is a big deal though Am, I'm your best friend, I should have been the one to say something intelligent, not Potter' But I just let it drop, I seem to be doing that a lot lately  
  
"Is your family going to spend the night?" She asked hopeful.  
  
"Are your sisters friends going to spend the night?" I ask  
  
"That depends on what your answer is, if your staying they are gone, if your not then ya they will probably be there." She now is looking at me trying to read whether I want them there or not.  
  
"Well then I'll stay and you win all around," and for some reason at that very moment I decided that she needed a hug, so I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her as tight as I could to my chest. And she then did something very un-Amy like, she started to cry. I could feel her whole body shaking, that was it Flint needed to die.  
  
I had only see this girl cry maybe 4 time in all time I had know her, and once had been right after this whole incident had taken place and I swore up and down that no one would ever hurt her like that again, I thought enough time had passed that people would have forgotten about it. But I guess I wasn't that lucky, I decided right then and there if I had to spend my entire last year at Hogwarts kicking every ass that even looked at her wrong I would.  
  
And that decision lasted about 10 seconds, because when she pulled out of my grasp she looked up at me with those eyes, and said, "don't even think about it, I'm a big girl and if Flint needs to get his ass kicked at some point this year it will happen. And I'll be the one who does it,"  
  
I opened my mouth to argue and she point her finger up to my lips, "Listen to me Oliver, you want to win the cup this year, I want to see you snatch it away from Flint ok. So do me a favor. Stay eligible. Because without there captain what good is the team.  
  
Ok she did have a point I should probably not be in detention any more than I needed to be. If I missed a lot of practice the whole team would suffer. And I did want to win more than anything.  
  
"Uh oh here comes Emily." I said but I noticed that her friends had abandoned her  
  
Amy looked confused, "Where'd they go?"  
  
"Well they started talking about you," She said looking disgusted "A whole bunch of stuff that I knew wasn't true. So I told them if they knew the least bit about you, they'd know that you weren't capable of that. And Maggie kept going on and on about how she'd heard this about this you and Cedric, and that about you and some other guy, so I slugged her." She was now grinding her fist into the palm of her other hand. "And then Bella, and Jamie, got mad so I told them they could find another way home, and I came to find you."  
  
Wow I thought to myself, maybe they are actually related. There had to be some love there, because if they weren't related they would never get along.  
  
"You punched her." I said and I had to be looking proud.  
  
"They only hang out with me because they think it's a fast track to you." she said smiling up at me, "What they don't understand is that there is no way that Amy would allow that." "Hey Em, do you think we could skip the London shopping today, I'll make it up to you some other time." Amy said,  
  
"Ya no problem." Emily said as she turned around to face me, "are you spending the night with your parents."  
  
"Last time I checked, I was ya."  
  
"Good, maybe we could get mom to rent us a movie, the Wood's have never seen any recent ones so we could." she said getting really excited  
  
Amy started to laugh "Ya I'm sure Mom would have no problem with that"  
  
And with that we began our long trek to the car. 


	3. Chapter 3

After spending a good two hours in the video store, we settled on Star Wars. Surprisingly my sister's choice, I think she figured that she owed Oliver a guy flick, after putting him though the torture of her so called friends.  
  
We settled around our wonderful big screen 72 inch TV. My dad's purchase, he bought it for himself for Father's Day last year. He had just been appointed in the ministry, personal ass kisser to Cornelius Fudge. I think it made Fudge feel special being able to order around, a man who in one year made Fudges lifetime pay. Dad only kept the job, so that he knew the entire inner goings on of the Wizarding world. Always figured that way we'd have a heads up if anything bad were going down.  
  
We knew practically minutes after Sirius Black had escaped. Dad had been a few years older then him in school, and had never fully believed he was guilty, but didn't want to chance it if he was.  
  
So here I am curled up in a ball on the end of the couch, Oliver on the other, engrossed in the selection. I see Emily made a wise choice, my sister surprised the hell out of me sometimes, Em and I are very different in almost every way imaginable. Emily has a fair complexion and blonde, where I have an olive complexion and am a brunette. I am 5'7 where she stands at a mere 5'2. She has blue eyes while, I have green. I get the grades, she gets the boys. Needless to say I received every recessive gene in my family. Emily was the spitting imagine of my mother, while I, well I don't know exactly where I came from. My dad used to tell me that I must have been the milkman's kid, because I lacked the Quidditch talent that he possessed.  
  
Oliver was a godsend in that respect, If he hadn't come along my father would still be driving my mother crazy with all the 'She needs to learn, it's a skill she will thank me for later' ya right. Teach me something useful, not how to fly 40 feet off the ground and dodge balls that want to kill me.  
  
I turned back to the screen just in time to see the storm trooper all the way on the left whack his head on the doorframe. Way to go editing.  
  
"Well why else would he have escaped?" Lynn Wood said from the kitchen, our parents had opted to have an adult night in the kitchen while the "kids" watched a movie.  
  
"Maybe he is just that mad, maybe he believes that what he did was justified" That was my dad, he never really let anyone know he didn't actually believe that Sirius was capable of such an atrocity, people tend to look at you funny when you don't believe exactly what they do, even if it is your best friend.  
  
Oliver and I exchanged a glance, Emily had fallen asleep on the floor in front of us, now all we had to do was step over her and make our way close enough to the kitchen that we could hear what was going on.  
  
"Imagine, and Harry goes running off in the middle of the night unsupervised, with that lunatic after him" My mom sounded worried. "He's just a boy he doesn't have the sense to deal with all of this yet, and he really shouldn't have to."  
  
As we crept toward the kitchen the voices were becoming clearer, now that we were standing right out side the entrance we could hear everything as if we were right along side them in the conversation.  
  
"He's had to deal with a lot worse, in such a short amount of time," Dad again, "I can't help to think where this world would be had he not defeated, well you know what I mean."  
  
Matt spoke up "Thankfully we don't have to. Oliver says he is the best seeker that Hogwarts has seen in a very long time, very lucky that Gryfindor has him."  
  
I heard my father murmur in agreement.  
  
"Were you there for the game last year against Slytherin, I nearly died when the boy broke his arm, and still managed to catch the snitch, and imagine with a rogue bludger after him. Nearly as good as his dad was, perhaps even better."  
  
As if I didn't hear enough of this at school, all year, now I had to listen to it from my own kitchen, I had had enough. I took that moment to burst into the kitchen with Oliver trailing behind.  
  
"He's actually quite smart to, and a very nice person all around," I stated matter of factly not caring if the knew I had been listening. "Maybe if more people noticed that about him, they would stop worrying all the time, he seems to do a good job taking care of himself."  
  
My mother looked up from her coffee which she had all of sudden found extremely interesting "He's just a boy Amy some day you will understand why all of us are so worried about him, no one that age should have to deal with so much."  
  
Whatever, I thought crossly "We are going to bed, See you in the morning."  
  
We went to leave when I heard my father say almost so soft I couldn't hear it, "Shouldn't Oliver sleep in the guest bedroom?" what since when had Oliver become a threat to me.  
  
"Um, no because Oliver's parents will be spending the night in the guest room." Uh oh I could feel a fight brewing. "Since when is this a big deal." I could see it in Oliver's face; I had to go there I had to take it that one step to far. If I had one major flaw it was not knowing when to shut my mouth.  
  
Oliver sensing my impending doom spoke up "If it's a problem I can sleep on the couch its really not that big of a deal." motioning towards the living room Dad seemed to soften; Mom must have put him up this because at that moment I could see how much it was hurting my father to basically tell his surrogate son that he wasn't trusted in this house. And that's when Dad caved. "Well I wouldn't want you to sleep on that old thing you could sleep wrong and be sore for weeks, wouldn't want that now would we." He said looking at my mother hopefully; oh she was so dead in the morning when I got a hold of her.  
  
Mom met my glare "No I guess it would be fine, as long as the door remains open," I started to walk away, happy with my small victory "Amy I'm serious all the way open, not just cracked."  
  
Ok it was my turn to become that wonderful shade of crimson, what exactly did she think we were going to do in a house full of our families. Please we both have at least some class.  
  
Walking down the hallway toward my bedroom, I looked at over at the troublemaker, "Do you believe them, honestly."  
  
"Amy you have to admit, it's not the most normal thing to have a guy spend the night in your room." Did he really just say that, what the hell is happening in this house. He must have noticed the shock on my face, because he followed it with. "There concerns are completely unjustified, I would never think of taking advantage of you."  
  
"You will never get the chance," I said bitterly  
  
And with that I left him standing in the middle of my room, while I went into my closet to change. Pathetic, bloody pathetic, all of sudden my parents think that I can't handle myself, don't they realize if I even got the slightest hint that Oliver had gone all creepy on me, I wouldn't have anything to do with him period, let alone have him sleep in the same bed with me.  
  
They have both been a little uptight since my run in, in Hogsmead last year. They keep telling me that one day I would realize that I am attractive and understand why someone would want to do that to me. I really don't have a clue what I would have done if Hagrid had not come along. I shuddered at the thought, put it out of your mind Am. Its over the guy is in jail. You'll never have to see him again.  
  
I found the pair of gray sweats I was looking for and grabbed a tank top off the shelf to go with it. Changed and left the closet when I got out there Oliver was already in bed, and on my side I may add.  
  
"Move," I said walking over and throwing the covers back.  
  
He sat up and moved to the end of the bed leaning back on the bedpost. I have this amazing bed. A canopy bed with thick curtains all the way around to block out the early morning sun. When we first got the bed the curtains had been a dark green color, since then I had decided that blue matched the color scheme in my room much better.  
  
Two summers ago I had gotten the bright idea that I needed to paint a mural on my ceiling, and while my parents were visiting friends in Africa that is what I did, Starting at one corner I had painted the sun, with clouds and rays, and as it went on the blue became slowly darker, until there were stars, and on the opposite corner I had painted the moon. The dayside of the room was decorated with my collection of butterflies, and fairies. I had an unusual fascination with them. And on the night side of the room stars covered it, making elaborate constellations, Astronomy was by far my favorite subject in school. It all fascinated me.  
  
Tonight though I think I will just pull the mosquito netting around the bed, and leave the windows open. I am terribly allergic, Its amazing what a small bite can leave my skin looking like, red and huge and puffy. Just plain gross.  
  
"What?" I say as he looks at me from the end of the bed  
  
"Nothing, just admiring the scenery," he said with a smirk. "Have you ever thought about it?" he added all hint of joking leaving his voice  
  
"Thought about what?" I asked snuggling down into the pillows  
  
"What it would be like, if we were to... you know if you and I ever started to date."  
  
"We have had this conversation before, and we are not having it this late at night, I'm sorry." please just drop it, I silently begged  
  
"Well it was just a thought, I mean everyone else already thinks there's something going on."  
  
"Right but we know there is nothing to those claims, plus just the thought of you naked." I said giggling  
  
"Ya I guess your right," he said climbing back up to the head of the bed, I felt him roll onto his back, and saw him put his right arm behind his head. "What's that one called?" he asked pointing to the ceiling.  
  
"That would be the archer. I moved him he used to be over there on that wall, but I thought he would be interesting to fall asleep staring at."  
  
I rolled over onto my stomach, and started giggling again.  
  
I felt him sit up; I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. "Your thinking about me naked again aren't you."  
  
"Goodnight Oliver"  
  
He just laughed. 


	4. Chapter 4

The sun coming through that big ass window woke me up. It was one of those good waking up though, where you drift comfortably out of sleep, not wake up with a start. I looked around the room Amy must already be downstairs. "I'm surprised she didn't wake me up." I said out loud to no one in particular. Getting up I surveyed the room. She really did do an amazing job on the mural. And it had all been done without magic, well for the most part I had the strangest feeling that the constellations were placed with magic, but besides that the painting was all her.  
  
Big difference between her room and mine, mine has white walls with Quidditch posters covering most of the wall space, on almost every wall but the one by the bed. The wall by the bed was covered with parchment scraps detailing all the plays. That way I fell asleep thinking about them and would maybe dream up better ones.  
  
"Maybe they are right, maybe I do need a new hobby." and now I'm talking to myself, good thing there's no one around to hear me.  
  
I got up and made my way to the door, pulling the t-shirt over my head that I had disguarded in the middle of the night. I could hear people in the kitchen, and I could smell breakfast. What time is it anyway?  
  
Emily emerged from her room in front of me, hair sticking up in every direction, and falling out of the ponytail. Her pajamas on the other hand, perfectly matched.  
  
"Nice look." I said trying not very hard to suppress a laugh. She spun around with this look of horror in her eyes; she must have forgotten that other people were spending the night.  
  
"If you tell another sole about this back at school" She said her eyes narrowing on me "I will curse you so bad, you won't be able to play for years." And with that she stormed off into the bathroom.  
  
'She probably could' I thought, but no matter it would be something to hold over her head all year long. Could be fun.  
  
I rounded the corner into the kitchen, and there stood Amy, at the stove while her mother bounced busily around the kitchen. Everything in this house was normally done without magic, so that the neighbors didn't get suspicious. So it was always interesting to see how the other half lived. It also smelled a lot better.  
  
"Your parents are out on in the garden dear." Autumn said without looking up. It was amazing how similar, her and Amy are in personality. But Emily definatly looked more like her mom.  
  
"Anything I can do to help." I asked  
  
"Yes dear, can you grab the Orange juice off the counter, and just put it out on the garden table."  
  
"Alright." I said grabbing the container. I walked over the counter next to Amy just in time to see her turn a sausage link with her fingers in the pan. Now normally most people would think, that's just stupid, who touches a hot pan, or better yet hot greasy food in the pan. Well you see boys and girls, Amy was born with this unique gift, and no its not stupidity. She can heal herself, Its one of the most rare gifts in the wizarding community, and no one in her family was quite sure where she had gotten the gift from, Because none of them had it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing still freaks me out is all." I said turning away with the Orange Juice  
  
She hadn't ever told anyone that was until her third year, in potions. She was working on one with a Slytherin 3rd year who thought it would be funny to splash some onto her hand while she was adding more ingredients. When the liquid splashed up on her hand, it burned into her skin, and the Girl, started to laugh. Snape was coming over to see what had happened and most likely to deduct some points, but when he reached Amy and grabbed her hand, It had already started to bubble the stuff out of her skin, and her body was already replacing it with new skin. Snape stood there absolutely dumbfounded, along with the rest of the class 'How long have you known you could do this?' he asked her 'Since I was about 3 or 4' 'Can you heal others?' 'I don't know sir I've never tried' 'Class dismissed,' he then turned to her 'Not you, you are to come with me' I saw them leave his classroom together, and decided that it couldn't be good, so I followed them, about ten feet in front of Dumbledor's Office, Snape turned to me 'This does not concern you Mr. Wood. 5 points will be deducted for being a snoop' 'Professor, its ok let him come with, he knows about this' I remember feeling my heart sink, I knew exactly what she was talking about, and I had seen it with my own eyes when I was about 10 'Very well,' he said the password, and we followed him up the winding stairs, and stood at the back of the room, waiting to be acknowledged.  
  
'Albus, may I have a word with you.' Snape was staring up onto the balcony waiting for him to appear 'What can I do for you Severus' He smiled down at the two of us. 'Were you aware that our young Ms Snow, has the ability to heal herself instantaneously' What was that tone I detected, was ornery Professor Snape actually, impressed by something a Gryfindor could do.  
  
'Is that correct, Ms Snow,?' he asked grinning from ear to ear 'yes sir' you could tell this wasn't something she was proud of, it was something she couldn't hide out in the muggle world. She had told me before, if she was ever hurt while out there she would risk exposing the entire world and there was nothing she could do about it.  
  
'Well then, you will have to be trained to control it.' he said almost reading my mind. 'It's not a very common gift, but it is one of them that is highly regarded. Once your trained up a bit, you may even be able to heal others my dear.'  
  
She nodded in agreement 'go back to your classes, I will explain to your teachers where you have been.'  
  
'Thank you sir.' We never spoke of it again  
  
Although I was pretty sure that she was coming along nicely in her training, because last year Emily tripped up the stairs on her way to the common room, and split her head open, blood everywhere. No one had seen it but me. She was fine by the next day and hadn't spent a minute in the hospital wing.  
  
I made my way out onto the garden patio, Kevin and my parents sat around reading the Daily Prophet  
  
"No news is good news, or so they say, He hasn't attacked anyone, that can only mean good things." My mom always the optimist.  
  
I set the Orange Juice down on the table, and walk around to the bench. When my father looks up and says, "Did you owl the recruiters yesterday like I asked you to?" Oh great this argument again  
  
"Dad, I can't owl them until there is something for them to see. Practice hasn't even started yet. I need to have someone to play against for him to see me." I say rolling my eyes  
  
"We could set up a private audition. Maybe if you asked Kevin nicely then he would play against you for the recruiter." he said looking at Kevin hopefully  
  
"Ya, Oliver of course I'll help you." said poring himself some juice "when I was your age, had my brother around to help with my recruiter."  
  
"I would rather them see me in an actual game Dad." I said picking up a disguarded paper "That way they can't say that old Kevin Snow was going easy on me."  
  
"Old Kevin Snow, tread lightly boy." Kevin said smiling "Or I might not let you stay in my little girls room anymore."  
  
Wow did this just get awkward, he's kidding of course but the jokes he used to make when I was 13 take on a whole new meaning when your 17.  
  
"Hey, Kevin, I have class. I have nothing but the utmost respect for your daughter." and trying to keep a straight face was becoming very difficult, and then I burst out laughing.  
  
Just as we were getting into this, is when all of the ladies from the kitchen came out with the meal. Pancakes, sausage, bacon, omelets, anything you could possibly imagine for breakfast was being brought out into the garden.  
  
We all started to load up our plates, mine was heaping full of all this good stuff, when I heard a noise from over by the fence. Autumn at once had everything magical in her hands, wands weren't allowed out here. But the papers, well moving pictures seemed to confuse some people.  
  
"Hello Kelly." I heard Amy say, "want to come over we are just sitting down to breakfast."  
  
Aww now why did she have to go and do that I groaned inwardly  
  
"I told you, you shouldn't have slept with her, that it would just be weird." Amy said softly enough that I only heard her. "She's one of my best friend and she lives next door, did you actually think you would never run into her again."  
  
"NO, but I was hoping it would be longer than this." I said looking at the grass  
  
"She's going to want to do it again, you're all she's talked about for months Oliver," she whispered sympathetically  
  
"It was a dumb idea the first time, and its not going to happen again." I said firmly. Kelly is a pretty girl and all but she is a muggle, and it is strange to have to hide who you are when you are so intimate with someone.  
  
It had been a bad idea.  
  
Amy had thrown herself a party last year after school ended, to reconnect with all of her friends that she hadn't seen in ages. She invited me, and a few other people from school, but we were under strict rules that if we came we were not allowed to do any magic, or even talk about anything magical. I had spent most of the evening with Katie Bell, and her boyfriend Jamie Majors, because the twins were up to something and Percy had been chasing them around, making sure that they didn't do anything too destructive.  
  
Katie and Jamie had gone off somewhere to do god knows what. I'd only been alone for seconds, when Kelly and her friend Val had walked over. We started talking and she seemed like a nice enough girl, but I wanted to find Amy, I needed to get out of there. Amy of course was nowhere to be seen, probably in the house getting something, or as I found out later changing the music.  
  
So Kelly and I chatted, I was in the middle of a sentence about how I knew Amy, when she said 'I've seen you over here before are you two an item.' 'uh no, just friends' And then she leaned over and kissed me, we started making out and one thing led to another, she led me around the side of the house, and we had sex up against the brick wall. When it was over I pulled up my pants and went to find Amy, I couldn't believe I had just done that. When I finally did find her, Kelly all ready had, and boy was she pissed. She wouldn't even look at me. I tried for about 20 minutes to get her to talk to me, and finally just got the hell out of there. Which I found out later pissed her off more because she was still mad when I left, and she hated to leave things like that.  
  
So here I sit in her mothers garden, trying to plan my escape, when Amy did the strangest thing, we were sitting on a bench pretty well into the garden, She pushed all the food onto one plate and pulled me up over to the hammock. She sat me down, sat down practically on top of me and started to eat, so I did what any guy would do if a pretty girl was sitting that close to them, you put your arm around them. Kelly walked into the garden and straight over for us, and then stopped dead in her tracks, composed herself and then kept walking.  
  
She walked right over to the hammock grabbed Amy by the arm and yanked her off over to her.  
  
"What do you think you are doing?" Kelly demanded  
  
"Um eating breakfast," Amy said as earnestly as possible  
  
"You know how much I like him, Amy how could you."  
  
"How could I what Kelly, he's been my friend forever" Amy then looked her directly in the eye "Besides you knew I didn't want you to hook up with him and you did it anyway, That's why you waited till I went inside. And then came running to me when he was done with you."  
  
Ouch, that was kind of harsh Am. Wait a second, she had told her friends not to hook up with me, why? Why would it matter to her? She probably just didn't want to hear about it afterwards, thinking of your best friend having sex is not something every person wants to hear. I'll ask later.  
  
"You just want him all for yourself. And that's not fair Amy because you aren't ever going to make a move on him anyway."  
  
"That's completely not true Kelly, I've had no problems with the girlfriends he's had in the past, I just don't like the idea of one of my best friends sneaking around behind my back, and seducing my best friend. Now if we are done with this argument than you can stay. If not you know the way out."  
  
I had never seen Amy like this before, all protective, it was kind of sexy. What did I seriously just think that, she's my best friend; she can't be my best friend and be sexy. Kelly just huffed and left the yard.  
  
"Wow, that was intense." I said laughing  
  
"Its not funny Oliver, I probably just lost one of my best friends." She said sitting down on the ground in front of me.  
  
"Then why did you do it," I asked surprised by the attitude I was getting  
  
"Because she's one of my best friends, and you are my best friend, and it would hurt a lot more to loose you than her." she said staring at the ground  
  
"Your not going to loose me, I was an asshole with her, It shouldn't have happened in the first place, I would totally understand if you just let her attack me for that." I didn't like seeing her like this  
  
"Ya ok whatever, I'm going to shower, I'll be back in a little while, I bet if you asked nicely my parents would let you use their shower." she said while getting up  
  
"Are you trying to tell me something?" I said as she started to walk away  
  
She spun around walked right over to me and sniffed "You stink, take a shower."  
  
As she walked past her parents she stopped, "Mom Oliver is going to use your shower ok." more telling then asking  
  
"Amy the shower in our room is broken, let him use yours and Emily's and you can use the Jacuzzi in our room."  
  
She nodded and entered the house. I should probably follow; I jogged into the house, up the stairs to Amy's door, knocked, and entered. She threw a towel at me, and I backed out of the room.  
  
I stopped at Emily's door. "Em" I knocked  
  
"What?" she came to the door  
  
"I will be using your shower for awhile, Amy is going to be in your parents bathroom, ok."  
  
"Ya ok whatever," and she shut the door on me  
  
Such a strange girl, one minute she's my buddy next she can't stand me I don't know what the hell to think. Oh well shower time.  
  
I entered the bathroom, Girly, Emily must have gotten to pick the theme.  
  
I pulled off my shirt, and my pajama pants  
  
"Wait, wait, wait, are you decent?" It was Amy  
  
"Clothes wise" She opened the door,  
  
"Sorry forgot you have all my stuff," she reached into the shower, grabbed a razor, some spongy thing, and some really fruity body wash. "Use the stuff on the top shelf, otherwise Emily will freak out."  
  
"Ya ok out, before you see more then you want to." She stuck her tongue out and left the room.  
  
I turned on the shower, and let the steam fill the bathroom; I dropped my boxers and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water take me over. 


	5. Chapter 5

I ran back to my room, grabbed my big fluffy really expensive bathrobe, threw my dirty pajamas on the floor and ran down the hall into my parent's room. I turned on the tap to fill the tub, walked over the sink pulled my hair up to the top of my head and yanked the tweezers out of my bathroom bag. Might as well fix my eyebrows while the tub was filling. I surveyed my brows and plucked a few stray hairs. Check the complexion doing well so far. I hopped down off the sink, and dropped some good smelling stuff into the tub.  
  
"Might as well make the most of it," I said out loud turning around to take a look at myself in the mirror.  
  
I dropped the bathrobe, "how come you always look skinnier when you're naked." I said with a huff  
  
I then stepped into the tub. I lay there with the Jacuzzi going, and just let my muscles relax, that whole Kelly thing had made me very tense. I hate fights, although I'm rather good at them when I'm involved in one. I either win the argument or the other person gives up, so in essence I always win. I mean what did she expect, he fucked her outside and then took off afterward. Did she actually think that the next time they saw each other he would scoop her up in his arms and take her away some place? No but she probably didn't expect to see him with me.  
  
I was used to Oliver's indiscretions by now, he always felt guilty about them afterward. So he always had to tell me, I just couldn't comprehend why he would do it in the first place if he knew he was going to regret it later. He hadn't told me about the first girl, and then I found out from one of his friends. I didn't know whether to feel hurt that he couldn't trust me or be mad that he didn't tell me. Either way he found out I knew, and sat at the foot of the stairs waiting for me to get back to my dorm. Then he dragged me into his room, and made me listen to this big explanation as to why he couldn't tell me because he was embarrassed, and didn't know how to bring it up.  
  
It boiled down to the fact that he thought I would be disappointed in him. And I was, he was only 14 at the time, and that's kind of young, but hey you can't undo the past so I just let it go. And because I let it go, I was forced to listen to the stories about the other girls. I appreciate the honesty but details are not necessary. I think half the time he forgets I'm a girl, and that's why when I'm with him and his buddies, he just keeps right on talking. Oh well at least when I hear the rumors I know what's true and what's not.  
  
I heard the door opening. "Hey naked in here!"  
  
"That's a good way to be in the tub, naked ya know" It was Emily "I just need to brush my teeth, I'll be out in a minute"  
  
"Where are you going?" I said pulling me knees to my chest. My sister was all dressed up, looked really cute to, not trashy, which made me believe she already had the boy she was spending the day with, not trying to catch one.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere Ryan is coming over here." She said smiling into the mirror  
  
"Ah Ryan I understand." Ryan is the Wood's nephew so Oliver's cousin, he was a Ravenclaw 5th year, and for as long as I can remember Emily has been in love, and he has never given her a second look. His baby brother Josh on the other hand followed Em around like a lost puppy. "Josh coming to?" I asked trying to piss her off  
  
"I wouldn't know I didn't ask." she said eyeing me in her reflection "I just heard Matt say that his brother was coming so I decided to go get dressed, and since Oliver 'I'm so great' Wood is in my shower I had to come in here."  
  
"Oh so we are back to being mad at Oliver," I laid back down in the tub "remind me what did he do?"  
  
"Well first of all, and I don't care what he told you, I was there Amy I know what happened, he may be a nice guy with you, but he's a prick to just about every other girl he comes into contact with ok." She had spun around and was leaning against the sink "And all that charming bullshit is just that bullshit. He's hooked up with half of my friends, and that's just wrong because he has an easy in through me."  
  
"Emily listen to yourself, your friends are skanks and its some how Oliver's fault that they are easy." I didn't need this right now "If you knew him at all, which you don't, you'd understand that he feels really bad about it all. You think he wants them to tell the whole school about him." I submerged my head under the bubbles  
  
When I came back up, she was staring really hard at her reflection. "It's an invasion of his privacy, and then it just at attracts all the other skanks to him. I'm not defending what he does Em, its just that I kind of understand it better then you do."  
  
She didn't get it, but then again no one did. It's true Oliver is pretty much an ass to every girl he meets, basically because they are dispensable, he figured out a long time ago that if he got bored with one there was another waiting in the wings. And he justified it by saying 'Am, I'm only 17; I shouldn't be tied down to one person.' It's not that he was mean to them he just didn't pay them the attention they thought they deserved, He's not looking for a girlfriend and all these girls think they will be the one that changes him, makes the tin man grow a heart if you will.  
  
God help the woman he ends up marrying, she'll have her work cut out for her.  
  
"Amy, if he wasn't such a nice guy everyone would hate him, but its because he does all his nasty things in private, and because the girls aren't all that respectable to begin with no one believes them." Emily is aggravated,  
  
"Em, tell me the truth. If he asked you out tomorrow you'd go out with him." She spun around pissed off. "Even if it was only so that you could say, look I dated him and he was actually nice to me, because that's the way you are Em. Admit it."  
  
"Whatever, I wouldn't date him for more reasons than I can count, but you're the number one reason most nice girls won't approach him."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah, haven't you noticed? You're kind of scary where Oliver is involved. I have never been more frightened and proud of you, then when you knocked Flint's ass out, when he purposely knocked Oliver out with the bludger, my first year."  
  
"He deserved it." I said "Get out Emily, I'm done with this conversation."  
  
"No you need to hear this," I submerged my head under the water, while Emily continued to talk, she finally got the hint and left the room.  
  
I washed my hair and finally got out of the nice warm water, dried myself off and wrapped the towel around my head, and the big fluffy robe around me, and left the bathroom. When I reached my door, I cracked it wide enough to see Oliver sound asleep, sprawled out on my big bed. I unwrapped the towel from my head, and dropped it on his face.  
  
He woke up with a start. "Not cool." He pulled it off his face and laid back down.  
  
"I just had an interesting conversation with my sister about your stupid ass."  
  
"Really, what about?"  
  
I had walked into the closet, to find some clothing, "I totally need to clean this up, it looks like a tornado has hit this place."  
  
"What?" he shouted  
  
"Nothing go back to sleep."  
  
I pulled on an off white lace tank top, and a pair of low rise jeans, and threw my boots out of the closet. Walking out of the closet I noticed that Oliver had propped himself up on the bed, and was reading a magazine. I walked over to the dresser and ran a brush through my wet hair, and pulled the curls into a ponytail and wrapped the band around into a messy bun type thing. Very rare to let the curls actually be seen, but I was way to lazy to dry it.  
  
"What are you reading?" I asked hopping on to the bed  
  
"Some girly thing I found on the floor." he said flashing me a Cosmo cover "So what was Emily saying about me."  
  
"Basically that you're a man whore, and that you're an ass to all the nasty girls you hook up with." I said laying back  
  
"I am not a man whore, and you know I'm not an ass." He said rolling onto his side  
  
"I know that but the dumb girls that spread these rumors don't." I said staring at the ceiling, I rolled over grabbed my wand out of the bedside table, and used it to close the curtains, and door. I then pointed it at the ceiling and made the stars glow.  
  
"That's really impressive, Amy, does anyone else know about your ceiling looking like this."  
  
"Just you, my family, and Ryan."  
  
"Emily doesn't know about you and Ryan does she?"  
  
"Nope and I plan on keeping it that way, If I would have known my sister liked him I never would have went out with him in the first place. She met him when we were on our first date, but we were trying to hide it so I couldn't tell her." I said burying my head in my hands "Now she's all obsessed, he's never going to go out with her. You can't date sisters. It an invasion of trust, plus if he sleeps with me and then sleeps with her, it would be like we've slept together, which is more then wrong."  
  
Oliver flinched as I was talking about this. "What I can hear all about your sex life but you can't listen to mine, or lack there of"  
  
"He's my cousin, and to tell you the truth I didn't like the idea of you two dating in the first place, so I really don't want to hear about it afterward." he said starting to get angry  
  
"You never told me you didn't want me to date him," I said rolling onto my stomach  
  
"Because I didn't think it was an option." He said turning to face me "Look, as dumb as this sounds, your mine, and I don't like it when other guys look at you let alone touch you, so why would my cousin, offer to keep it a secret, because he knew I'd beat his ass if I found out."  
  
"What do you mean? I'm yours. What deluded world are you living in?" I rolled back onto my back and closed my eyes.  
  
"I mean, well I don't know what I mean, I'm not exactly sure myself what I'm talking about."  
  
"You're confusing me, Oliver"  
  
He leaned over and put his hand on the side of my head, pulling my head towards his, and placing a very hard kiss on my temple.  
  
"What in the hell are you doing?" I said sitting straight up laughing. "Kissing was never part of the arrangement."  
  
He collected himself walked to the door.  
  
He turned around stuck his tongue out at me, and then left the room closing the door behind him.  
  
I sighed and threw myself back on the pillows  
  
"What the hell" I said out loud to my self 


	6. Chapter 6

I left Amy's room, and walked down the hall to the bathroom, closed and locked the door, and sank down against it; pulling my knees up to my chest I buried my face into them. What the hell is my problem? Am I developing feelings for my best friend?  
  
"Oliver." bang bang bang "Oliver, I know you're in there. I saw you go in there." Oh shit its Emily. I walked over as far away from the door and apparated with a "Pop" I knew Emily would have heard that but at this point I didn't really care.  
  
I was now wandering around Amy's neighborhood, completely oblivious to my surroundings. Hopefully no one would come looking for me. This was ridiculous. I didn't have any feeling for Amy; she's just a friend. A beautiful friend that would never be interested in me anyway.  
  
"Wood?"  
  
"What?" I replied without thinking. Who the hell would know me over here?  
  
I spun around the face the voice. "Potter?"  
  
"What are you doing over here?" we both asked at the same time.  
  
"I'm visiting the Weasley's," he said first  
  
"Oh that's right they do live not to far from here, don't they?"  
  
"Yes so what are you doing here?" he asked again  
  
"The Snow's live a few blocks that way." I said pointing in the general direction of the house. "I just needed some fresh air"  
  
"Oh," was the only reply I received, he fell into step beside me. I liked Potter and all but at this moment I really just needed to think. My thought was interrupted "Oliver?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you by any chance know if Emily is seeing someone?" He asked turning a deep red color "Ron told me that she didn't live that far away from him, so I thought I'd try and accidentally bump into her ya know."  
  
"But instead you got me?" I said with a laugh "Well Potter as far as I know she's not with anyone. But she doesn't really tell me anything. Amy would know better."  
  
"Oh ok." He said looking disappointed "Well then Wood, I will see you on the train, tomorrow perhaps?"  
  
"Yea, oh and Potter" he stopped and turned back to me "I'll find out for you."  
  
With that a big smile spread across his face and he started back for the Weasley's. With that I decided I'd had a long enough walk when I heard a very familiar voice call my name  
  
"Oliver, wait up." It was Kelly great. "I saw you leave Amy's and thought I'd catch up with you."  
  
Ok now that not possible because I apparated here about 15 minutes ago, but I decided to play along. "Ya just needed to get out for awhile"  
  
"Are you and Amy fighting?" she asked looking hopeful  
  
"No, I just needed some time to think." I said without looking at her. She was a very pretty girl, Black hair, Brown eyes, very nice. At least I had good taste in the women I hooked up with.  
  
"Well it looks like something is bothering you, would you like to come back to my house and talk about it."  
  
"Yea that would be nice Kelly." and with that I allowed her to take my hand and lead me back to her house.  
  
Once we got to her front door, she unlocked it and from the second I stepped inside I could tell someone had taken a lot of time to make sure it looked straight out of one of those muggle magazines. And then she was all over me. And I didn't protest, maybe this would take my mind off of everything going on with me right now.  
  
Her tongue was in my mouth when I leaned forward and pressed her against the wall. So forcefully that I thought for a moment that I had hurt her. We stayed like that for a few minutes before she decided to lead me down the hallway to her room.  
  
She pushed open the door to her room, and led me over the huge bed at the end of the room, and forcefully pushed me back onto it. She leaned down and unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off my hips, and down around my ankles.  
  
I pulled away from her for a moment to kick of my shoes and then my jeans. I then pulled her closer to me, and pulled her shirt up over her head, revealing a purple bra. She then pulled at the buttons on my shirt and one by one opened them until my chest was revealed.  
  
With my left hand I pulled her chin up to mine and kissed her, and with me right I undid the button on her pants, letting them fall the floor. She casually stepped out of them and then straddled my hips. We moved slowly up the bed, loosing my boxers along the way. I rolled her over on to her back, and pushed her matching purple panties off of her body. With a few thrusts I was done. She had faked it but at this point I didn't really care.  
  
I was in it for my own satisfaction I thought as I rolled over onto my back. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, so that she didn't think about starting again. I'd had enough of her and she wasn't very good anyway. I bet Amy would be amazing. My eyes flew open. Amy, oh my god, if she ever found out what I had just done she would never think of forgiving me.  
  
I closed my eyes tightly as I felt Teri's tongue make its way down my body to my most private area. I lay there and just enjoyed the feeling of being pleasured, when I had again released myself. I got up and started to put my clothes back on.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asked from her kneeling position.  
  
"I have to go get all my stuff ready for the trip back to school tomorrow," I said not really paying any attention to her. She got up and tried to kiss me again, but I just turned my back on her as a put my shoes on. I got up grabbed my shirt and buttoned it as a walked to her bedroom door.  
  
She ran in front of my escape route. I thought for a moment of just apperating out of there, letting her believe she had imagined the whole thing. But the taste in her mouth would probably remind her that it had all been real. "What?" I asked glaring at her.  
  
"Can we do this again sometime." Was this girl serious? What exactly had I just done for her, nothing, she'd helped me release a lot of sexual tension, but I hadn't really reciprocated.  
  
"If you really want to," I replied with my charming smile, I then kissed her lightly on the lips, and left the room. I'll show myself out I thought to myself. As I left Kelly's front door, I hopped the shrubbery that separated to 2 yards and strolled up the walk as if nothing had happened.  
  
Amy opened to front door before I got to it. "Where in the hell have you been? You don't know your way around this neighborhood, and with Sirius on the loose." She pulled me in and hugged me.  
  
Now I felt really guilty for shagging her best friend. "I was just out wandering around, I ran into Potter a few blocks over and we were just chatting." I said as I pulled her into the house.  
  
"Potter, was wandering around to?" She said looking confused  
  
"Well actually he was hoping to run into your sister." I said laughing  
  
"No way, you've got to be kidding. Emily would love to have a chance with him. Most of the girls in the school would, they just don't have the guts to ask." At that point my obnoxious cousin came around the corner and wrapped his arm around Amy's waist. She looked around uncomfortably for a moment. And then realized she was safe and relaxed.  
  
"My dad and your dad's are all going to the nearest pitch to go flying. They are going to want you to go Oliver" that was Ryan, when we were kids Ryan always thought he was better at this sport then I was. And now that I've proved that I'm better, he likes to stick it to me in other ways. Like with Amy, I half believed he was with her just to mess with me. If she had been a virgin when he met her I would have been really pissed, but luckily for him, I knew better.  
  
"Yea Ryan you should come with, Kevin could teach you a few things." I said hoping he would come and not stay here alone with her.  
  
"No I have some plans with Amy here for the afternoon. But Josh is going, teach my little bro a couple things would you, Maybe then he wouldn't be a walking can of girl repellent." He said with a laugh.  
  
I wanted to rip that arm that was around her waist off and beat him to death with it, but I thought better of it, I may have been better at Quidditch, but Ryan was almost twice my size.  
  
At that point Kevin came into the room. Amy pulled away immediately. Kevin eyed Ryan suspiciously; good he didn't like him either.  
  
"Ok you two lets go. Time to teach Ryan a thing or two about flying properly. It is a sad day in any mans life when he realizes his baby brother can out fly him isn't Ry." I had to stifle a laugh. While Ryan turned bright red Kevin was making him come with us and there was no way he was getting out of this one,  
  
"Mr. Snow, I actually need Amy's help to finish up some last minute coarse work if that's ok." Kevin looked suspicious but agreed to let him stay there.  
  
"Well Oliver go change so we can brush up for this coming season." Kevin said slapping me on the shoulder.  
  
I walked down the hallway into Amy's room to grab my practice gear, and was followed by Ryan. I don't know where Amy had disappeared to. I pulled my shirt off and began to change into my practice clothes when I heard Ryan flop down on her bed.  
  
"With any luck this mattress will hold for the next couple hours." I heard him say hoping that I'd hear him.  
  
I walked over the window seat and sat down while putting on my shoes.  
  
"Ya want to know something about Amy, Oliver?"  
  
"Not really, Ryan." I said without looking up from my shoes  
  
He shrugged "Probably for the best, because your never going to get the opportunity to be with her, that's what sucks about being friends with the hottest girl in school."  
  
I could feel my teeth grinding, he knew he was getting to me that's why he kept on about it.  
  
"When's the last time you got laid anyway?" he asked me  
  
"About 20 minutes ago actually, muggle girl next door." I couldn't stop myself I knew I shouldn't have told him, because now he would tell Amy, but I just couldn't stop myself. And it did shut him up until Kevin came up to get me.  
  
As we were leaving the house I heard Autumn say that she was heading to the store, with Emily to buy some new clothes for the school year, and my mom was going with.  
  
I wanted to scream, don't leave that horn ball alone with your daughter. But who was I to talk about proper sexual behavior.  
  
I left the house in a particularly bad mood. Maybe some Quidditch would relieve some of this stress. 


	7. Chapter 7

They all left the house, together in our big ass car, because Josh wasn't old enough to apparate and the pitch obviously wouldn't have a fire place.  
  
Something had been wrong with Oliver, He'd been gone for like 3 hours, and he actually expected me to believe he'd just been wandering around all that time. Not likely. My thoughts of Oliver were pushed aside however when Ryan wrapped his arms around my waist and slowly led me into my bedroom. The whole time kissing my neck. It was a good thing he was holding me the way he was or my knees may have given out from underneath me.  
  
Everyone at school thought that Ryan was an asshole, and I was pretty sure I understood why. I hadn't liked him very much when we first met on the train my first year. It was his first year as well and Oliver had been strictly warned by his parents that he was to be nice to Ryan, they were family after all.  
  
Thank god he was sorted into a different house. He was arrogant and pompous and just an all around prick until you go to know him. I got to know him last summer when I had spent about 4 weeks at the Wood's home. He and Josh had also come to stay there for a few weeks. Oliver had spent his time teaching Josh new tricks, and Ryan had been irritating me for days. When I walked down the stairs one morning and saw him passed out on the couch, he had given up his bed to his little brother who had taken a nasty fall. But he didn't want anyone else in the house to know about it.  
  
'What are you doing down here?' I asked  
  
'If you must know I couldn't sleep in there anymore Josh snores' he replied trying to pull the pillow over head as if then I'd go away  
  
'Wasn't Josh the one sleeping on the couch' I asked now very confused by the whole situation  
  
'We were switching nights'  
  
'Your being nice to your little brother aren't you.' I said very amused at his reaction  
  
'No I told you we are switching nights' he was now getting pissed  
  
'Don't worry Ryan your secrets safe with me, you're not as much of an asshole as you'd like people to believe.' I said walking into the kitchen  
  
'Do the people at school know that you and Oliver share a bed over the summer. Or better yet does dear Cedric know?' he asked I stopped from my place in the doorway.  
  
'You had to do it right; you just can't be nice to anyone for more than 30 seconds. Or maybe its just me, because I'm not one of your conquests.' he had gotten up from the couch and was standing in front of me with only his boxers on. 'But no that can't be it because you treat them worse then you treat me.'  
  
He then walked across the room at me so forcefully that I thought he was going to hit me. It wasn't until his lips were on mine that I realized I wasn't going to be punched.  
  
I pushed him away. 'What are you doing? You don't even like me.'  
  
'No far from it actually, I like you a lot, I have since the first day I saw you, but can't make a move on my cousins girl. But Oliver isn't ever going to make a move so why not me' he replied  
  
I looked him directly in his amazing green eyes and realized that he was actually being serious; he then stepped forward and kissed me again  
  
We spent the next few weeks making out whenever we could. It was fun, and it was different. Being with Cedric was always very serious, everything had to be taken slow, hell we didn't even kiss until we'd been dating for at least 3 months, and sex had taken almost a year. But with Ryan he started the relationship with a kiss, sex on the other hand, that was yet to happen.  
  
Because you see boys and girls, I may not be a virgin, but surprisingly Ryan was, although he swore to me if I ever told anyone he would kill me. See he's trying to make a moral stand without anyone noticing.  
  
When it came to that time when we would be talking about previous relationships, he point blank said that his first girlfriend had told all her friends he was good in bed, so he just went along with it. And nobody would believe him if he went back on it now.  
  
And when he heard my answer his response was and I kid you not 'so Diggory actually nailed you huh?' oh the classy Ryan we all know and love  
  
So now a year later here we were, me being led to my bedroom by this gorgeous boy who I wanted so badly but refused to give in. That's not say he was a monk, he'd had his fair share of blowjobs by all those lovely sluts wandering the halls of Hogwarts.  
  
He led me over to the bed and laid himself on top of me, and we fooled around for a while. He really was a gorgeous boy, dark brown hair, and these amazing emerald eyes, that were almost crystallized. He was built, muscular all over, down to his forearms where the veins popped out when he clenched his fists, which I found so sexy.  
  
He had rolled off of me and was laying on his side staring at me, he reached over and pushed me hair back out of my face, and with his powerful arms he pulled me in very close to him. I lay there snuggled up close to him. It was times like these I appreciated the fact that we could lay there and be so innocent.  
  
"Ya know you'd pull a lot more girls if you showed this side of you to more people"  
  
"Is that what you want for me to pull more girls, because I really don't have any problem with that now" he said kissing the top of my head  
  
"Well I'm just saying, you're a very nice person and more people should know that."  
  
"Amy if anyone knew that we were an item, your reputation would be shot. Besides it's kind of cool that its only us that knows."  
  
"Oliver knows," I pointed out  
  
"Because you told him." he spat back at me  
  
"I tell Oliver everything, you need to get over it," I said sticking my tongue out at him  
  
"Better put that away or I'll put it to use."  
  
"Ya promises." I said sitting up in bed  
  
"Speaking of Oliver, do you know what he was doing on his walk? Or who I should say?" Ryan looked pleased with himself; I hated this animosity him and Oliver had towards each other  
  
"No and I don't care he'll tell me himself. When he wants to."  
  
"He said something about the muggle girl next door."  
  
Now I was enraged after I had probably cost myself a friendship he had gone ahead and fucked her anyway. Oh he was so dead when he got back.  
  
"Why would you tell me that?" I ask. I was pissed and willing to take it out on anyone around me. "I don't want to know about his sex life. Anymore then he wants to know about mine. So why would you tell me that?"  
  
Ryan sat up speechless, his plan has definatly backfired.  
  
"Does my friendship with Oliver bother you? He's my best friend Ryan, you can be replaced, and He can't be." I say very firmly as I get up off the bed and make my way over the window seat. "I don't have a problem with you and Oliver. I just want you to see him for what he really is." He got up and came over by me "You make him out to be some kind of saint Amy, and he's not. He's just like every other horny teenager."  
  
"Well maybe I don't see him like that." I say becoming very interested in the pattern of the cushion of the window seat  
  
"Or maybe you don't want to." He said moving back to the end of the bed. "You put him on a pedestal and no other guy can live up to him. And quite frankly Amy I'm sick of living in his shadow I've been doing it all of my life, and I was hoping I wouldn't have to do it with you."  
  
I got up off the seat and made my way over to him.  
  
"Ryan, I'm sorry, I had no idea you felt this way."  
  
"What way, that I've never been good enough for anyone. My father wanted me to go pro did you know that. He forced me to join the house team. My father played with yours, and my uncle, and he was always playing catch up with them." he stopped and ran his hand through his hair  
  
"I guess he only felt it right that I should play catch up with his nephew. Oliver has it all, the looks, the brains, the talent, and you."  
  
"He doesn't have me?" I say more questioning then actually believing it, because to some extent I knew he was right. If I had to make the choice between Ryan and Oliver, Well it's safe to say that Ryan would loose.  
  
"Yea Amy he does, he knows it, you know it, hell the whole school knows it. That's the reason I never told anyone we were dating. Not because it would ruin your rep. But because no one would believe me anyway." He started to button up his shirt  
  
I grabbed his arm and tried to stop him from leaving the room. But it was too late; he had already made up his mind. I heard him enter the kitchen and pull out the chair.  
  
He thinks if he just ignores me in my own house I'll go away.  
  
"Ryan," I say cautiously as I enter behind him  
  
"Leave me alone," he says very flatly  
  
"No, I don't have to this is my house and I will do what ever I please in it." I pulled the chair out in front of him.  
  
"I'm not arguing with you anymore Am. I'm done." "Fine." I go to get up.  
  
"Just remember the higher the pedestal, the harder they fall." He says studying the grain on the table  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've built him up so high, that not even he can live up to it anymore, I just hope I'm around to see his world crash in around him."  
  
With that I turned my back on him, and went outside into the garden. I could hear someone on the other side of the fence.  
  
"Kelly?" I called loud enough for her to hear inside the house  
  
"Yea." came the reply from about 3 feet away.  
  
"We need to talk, can I come over for a few minutes." I ask peering through the slats  
  
"The front door is open, come out back."  
  
I walked around the front of the house, stepping over the hedge and jumping over the mud. I walked up to the door, and knocked just to be polite, when no one came, I opened the door and made my way through the house.  
  
I'd lived next door to Kelly for almost 12 years, we practically lived at each other's houses when I was home, and she attended a private school, not to far away from the house. We got along very well, and it was safe to say that this was probably the first fight we had ever had. Well at least about anything important.  
  
I pushed open the sliding glass door, and there lay my friend on a towel spread out in the sun.  
  
"How long have you been out here?" I ask avoiding the real reason why I am here, like the giant white elephant in the corner of the room.  
  
"Bout an hour or so." she said sitting up "Long enough to hear yours and lover boys argument." she says removing her sunglasses and eyeing me carefully "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yea I'm fine, look I just came to apologize for this morning. It was uncalled for, and if you want Oliver then go for him." I say getting up to leave.  
  
"Thanks, but I've already had him." she says laying back down "And I should have listened to you, He wasn't that great the first time. And he didn't improve much before the second."  
  
I laughed and turned to leave. "I'm leaving for school tomorrow, so I probably won't see you for awhile."  
  
"Yea, call me, or write me, we will see each other over the holidays."  
  
"So he really isn't good huh?" I ask, this was a first most of the girls at school rave about his abilities.  
  
"Nope, not at all. Lets just say he was more interested in helping himself, then in helping his partner."  
  
"Ah, I see. Bye Kelly." I walked through the sliding doors, saying good-bye to her parents that had just arrived home, and made my way back to my house.  
  
Ryan wasn't there when I got back. 


	8. Chapter 8

We had spent about 2 hours throwing the quaffle at me; When Kevin decided it was time for us to head home. I don't think he very much liked the idea of his daughter alone in the house with Ryan. Ryan's reputation preceded him. And believe me it wasn't a very flattering reputation.  
  
I still for the life of me couldn't figure out why any girl in their right mind would want to spend any time with him. I shook my head as I left the pitch and headed to the locker rooms. Then again I guess the same could be said about me, I didn't treat the girls I was with any better then Ryan treated his.  
  
I made my way into the locker room, and grabbed my stuff out of the locker. Do you ever get that feeling that you are being watched? I was having that feeling right now, I was almost afraid to turn around and see who, or what was staring at me. In my peripheral vision, I caught the site of Josh. Man that kid could be creepy  
  
"What can I do you for sir?" I ask gathering my stuff  
  
"Can you teach me to fly like that?"  
  
"If you want, your brother plays the same position, he could teach you as well."  
  
"Ya but your better then he is, and if I want to impress Emily then I have to work on my skills."  
  
"Josh I don't think your quidditch skills are going to help you with Emily." poor kid willing to try just about anything to get a girl who can be a stone bitch towards everyone. If only Emily knew about her sister and Ryan, she would have a heart attack.  
  
"It works for you," he stated  
  
"No dear boy, I was blessed with stunning good looks and a charming personality, as well." I ruffled his hair "You're a Wood man, you've got it in you."  
  
I was going to take a shower there but didn't really feel like being naked in front of anyone right now let alone my dad, uncle, and mentor. So I just changed into my street clothes and walked out to the car to wait for the adults. Josh tagging along behind me. I could be home already if not for that kid.  
  
I hopped up onto the hood of the car and stretched out on the windshield, watching the clouds go by overhead. It seemed like ages ago when I had last just looked for the shapes in the clouds. Back when things were simple. Back when Amy and I were forced to hang out with each other, not did it willingly. I was so lucky to have a girl as a friend. Do you know how many times she saved my ass from making really bad dating decisions at first? Now I don't bother to ask anymore, she'll just disagree with whatever choice I make so what the point.  
  
Josh hopped up next to me. "You really don't think being good at this would catch Emily's attention," he asked eyeing me carefully  
  
"Josh I think you should let Emily go, you can do better then her, trust me." I said without breaking eye contact with the sky  
  
"But why, she's pretty, and nice, and smart." I sat up and looked at him, silently questioning whether we were talking about the same Emily.  
  
"If you really want her Josh, your going to have to make your move soon, rumor has it that our dear Mr. Potter has his eye on her."  
  
"Great if he goes for him, I might as well give up, I'll have no chance against him." poor kid, he had no chance to begin with. He really was girl repellent.  
  
Thankfully our parents decided that this would be the time to show up. All of them, Emily had also collected a few friend. Who were now giggling madly towards the car. I took one look at them, and turned to my father.  
  
"I'm just going to pop myself back to the Snow's" Kevin grinned  
  
"Good Idea"  
  
Emily glared "At least now there will be more room in the car," she offered to her friends, who looked mighty disappointed that I would not be escorting them all the way home.  
  
And with a loud pop I was back in the Snow's living room.  
  
"Must you keep doing that?" I heard Amy yell from the couch.  
  
"Uh. Yes I must." I said flipping over the back of the couch.  
  
"You're going to break this couch one day, you do realize that."  
  
"Ah yes, but I also realize that your parents love me, and would most likely forgive me." I searched the room, and opened my mouth to speak  
  
"He's gone." She said eyes not leaving the screen. "I went over to talk to Kelly, and when I came back he had disappeared."  
  
I leaned back into the cushion; she was laying at the other end in the fetal position. "And are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said sitting up to look me in the eye. "Do you tell other guys not to ask me out?"  
  
"No, they no better then to ask me." my turn to become engrossed in the screen.  
  
"And why is that." she questioned  
  
"Because you deserve better than any of the idiots at school can give you, and they are beginning to realize that." I said with a smirk  
  
"So it is your fault," she laughed and lay back down. "Do my feet smell?" she asked pushing her foot up to my nose  
  
"Um, how do I answer this?"  
  
"Honestly would be nice?" she shot back  
  
"Ok then no." I said pushing her foot away  
  
"Ok then its you, go shower. Your stench is making me ill. Didn't you rinse off after your practice?" she asked holding her nose for emphasis.  
  
I pushed her legs off of me and made my way over to the bathroom, "Use the Jacuzzi I heard her yell from the sofa."  
  
Ok change of plans, I grabbed another set of clothes from my bag and walked into her parents bedroom, and turned the tap on and sat down on the toilet to wait for the tub to fill.  
  
Once it had I stripped down and stepped in. Pressing the button for the jets as I did. The water felt amazing. So my asshole cousin finally did it, he finally broke her heart, good maybe now I won't have to deal with him as much. I leaned back and wet the top of my head. I heard the door open.  
  
Amy walked across the room, and took a seat on the dressing table. "We need to have a discussion," she stated very firmly  
  
"Can we have it later when I'm not quite so naked."  
  
"No we can have it now, that way you can't walk away when the conversation gets difficult, at least not without giving me a show." She had planned this  
  
"Your evil."  
  
"What can I say it's a gift." She said smiling "Now, I had a talk with Kelly, she said you need to work on pleasing your partner more. Sex is not a one way street my friend." I was now the deepest shade of red you could imagine.  
  
"Look Am, about that I'm really sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. She was there she offered, I just couldn't stop myself."  
  
"Ya, ya whatever. I think its pretty amusing actually. And here I was thinking I was missing out on something." she said sarcastically  
  
"Maybe with you, I'd be more considerate." I said mostly kidding  
  
She stared at me trying to see just how serious I had been, and then this huge grin spread across her face. She jumped off the counter and walked over to the edge of the tub, and sat down. She was doing this to make me nervous. It was totally working to.  
  
"Would you be, maybe we should try it and find out." She said with a look of sincerity I hadn't seen in quite a while she leaned forward and was about 3 inches from my mouth. I closed my eyes, and tried to breathe normally. And then she did it, reached into the water and flicked water into my face. I opened my eyes up just in time for me to notice that her hand was now on the top of my head. Pushing my head under the water.  
  
I pushed myself out from under that water.  
  
"Tease" I said as a surfaced  
  
"Jerk" her  
  
"Bitch" me  
  
"Ass kisser" her  
  
"Whore" me  
  
"Momma's boy" her  
  
"Butt licker" me damn  
  
"Ha, ha Repeat, ass and butt you loose" she yelled triumphantly from the doorway  
  
I leaned back into the tub and let the jets massage my back; I had just let myself relax when I heard the door again  
  
"What now?"  
  
"It's just me," it was Ryan "I thought you were gone?"  
  
"I'm done Oliver."  
  
I grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around my waist. "Done with what?"  
  
"I'm done trying to beat you, because I've realized its not going to happen," he said 


	9. Chapter 9

I was sound asleep when I heard Oliver come in, or at least pretending to be. He had disappeared after his bath; I think he went home to get some more stuff. I heard him drop his bags next to the door, and walk over to the window seat.  
  
I rolled over to look at him.  
  
"Where have you been?" I asked him; as he leaned down to untie his boots.  
  
"I thought you were asleep." he said smiling, god he was so charming sometimes. It made me want to puke  
  
"Well you see I was, but someone I know, had to make a ton of noise, and wake me up." I said sitting up. I looked at the clock 3 am. "Seriously where have you been?" I asked again  
  
He dropped his jeans and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving him in a wife beater, and boxers.  
  
"Ohh, I get a private show!"  
  
"Cute Amy." He said laughing "I actually went home, brought Ryan with me."  
  
I was shocked "You and Ryan, being civil? Who are you and what have you done with Oliver? Should I feel your forehead, are you feeling sick?"  
  
He walked over and grabbed the pillow from the floor, hitting me in the head with it, as he plopped down on the end of the bed, pushing the pillow between himself and the bedpost.  
  
"After I got out of the Jacuzzi, well actually while I was still in the Jacuzzi he came in to talk to me. I think he was trying to get me in a position where I'd feel vulnerable."  
  
I pulled my knees up to my chest. "And?"  
  
"And well, that fight you to had really took a lot out of him." he said looking at me quizzically "I think it's the first time I've ever seen Ryan feel like an asshole, or guilt about anything for that matter."  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" I said leaning my chin on my knees "Tell me what to do and I'll do it, Your my best friend Oliver, and you're a guy what should I do? Tell me what to do." He leaned his head on the post and looked at the ceiling. "Should I go public, tell everyone about Ryan and I, or should I just leave it alone."  
  
His eyes didn't leave the ceiling "I think if you tell everyone you will break your sister's heart." he said sincerely  
  
He shifted his head to look at me. "Just leave it alone, the balls in his court now, let him figure it out."  
  
"Ok, I'll try your way." I said laying back down. I pulled myself into the fetal position.  
  
I heard him sigh, I started to drift off, listening to him breath, it sounded labored.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked him  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked  
  
I sat straight up in bed "Oliver your breathing funny, what's wrong?"  
  
"Its nothing Amy go to sleep, I just took at bludger at high speed into my chest." He shifted and I saw him wince  
  
"That's why your sleeping sitting up?" I moved towards him, and he pulled away. "Let me see." I placed my palm on his chest and could feel the broken rib. "Damn Wood, your not invincible. Lay down."  
  
I rubbed my palms together. I'd only done this once to someone else. And that was Emily if I screwed her up for the rest of her life. She'd have to forgive me I'm her sister. I screw Oliver up and I ruin his career.  
  
He lay back on the bed, and I placed one hand on the side of his chest and the other directly on top of the broken rib. I can't even describe what happens when I do this. But it's different when it happens to me then when I do it to someone else.  
  
Myself its instantaneous, when I help someone else, it's an overwhelming sense of, well I don't exactly know what. You feel really happy, and then pain, but then back to happy, all simultaneously.  
  
I felt his breathing even out. "See all better."  
  
"That's amazing Am."  
  
"Go to sleep, that takes a lot out of me."  
  
I laid down and started to fall asleep immediately. When I felt him wrap his arm around me and pull me into his chest for a hug. I went to squirm away, but thought better about it. "Thanks, I love you"  
  
"Yea, yea I love you too, now let me go." He laughed and I rolled back to my own side of the bed  
  
"Amy" someone was whispering in my ear, god that bothered me, like nails down a blackboard. "Amy" I opened my eyes slightly, and saw Ryan's gorgeous green eyes staring into mine. "Get up, I want to show you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get up, I want to show you something. Be quiet I don't want to wake anyone up." He said  
  
I got up and followed him to the door; turning around the make sure Oliver was still asleep. He grabbed my hand and led me to the front door, stopping only to grab a blanket off the back of the couch. Emily and her stupid friends were asleep on the floor.  
  
When we got outside I noticed that the car was already running a the end of the driveway. Walking around to the passenger's side he opened to door for me, motioning for me to get in. He then jogged back around to his side and got in.  
  
We drove for about 20 minutes in complete silence. And uncomfortable silence at that, neither one of us wanted to be the first to break that silence though. After awhile we reached a clearing, Ryan turned off the ignition and leaned into the backseat for the blanket. Two of them actually. He looked at me and smiled before getting out of the car.  
  
'Oh god he's going to kill me and no one is going to find the body' I thought to myself as he walked around the car, and opened the door for me to get out. He motioned for me to go. 'Great, I wonder if he has a cattle prod.' he followed.  
  
"What are we doing out here Ryan, It's 4am, it's pitch black, and I'm freezing." I said rubbing my arms. "You could have at least told me where we were going so I could have dressed appropriately"  
  
He spread the blanket out on the ground and sat down leaning back on the palms of his hands. "Come here" he said motioning towards himself  
  
I didn't budge "Or you can stand there and freeze."  
  
I gave up and sat down next to him. He pulled me between his legs, and I leaned my head back on his chest. He threw the other blanket over us, and wrapped his arms around me.  
  
"Look up" I did as I was told, their wasn't a cloud in the sky. Which made the stars incredibly visible.  
  
"Oh Ryan its beautiful."  
  
"I thought you'd like it, I heard on the news tonight, on the weather report, that it was going to be clear, and the guy said it would be a perfect night for star gazing.  
  
I tilted my head back and kissed him.  
  
"Thank you, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." I laid my head back down and looked up at the constellations.  
  
"You know I love you," he said so quietly, I wasn't even sure I'd heard him.  
  
I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off. "Don't say it if you don't mean it Amy." I shut my mouth  
  
"I love you and I need you to know that, you are the best person I have ever known. You were willing to look past all the things you had heard about me."  
  
I looked back at him; he looked like he was about to burst into tears. I felt like the biggest jerk for putting him through this.  
  
"I do care about you, you must understand that."  
  
"But you don't love me. I have come to accept that" he said kissing the top of my head. "If all I can have is your friendship, then that's what I'll take." he leaned his head on my shoulder "at least until you're ready for something more."  
  
I turned to face him, and leaned in for a kiss, He didn't know how to respond, he wrapped his hand into my hair and deepened the kiss, and we stayed like that for a while.  
  
After about 15 minutes I pulled away, and looked into his eyes. He laughed and pulled me back into his lap. "That was not the response I was expecting."  
  
"Thank you for being so understanding, I appreciate that more than you can believe." I leaned back and stared at the stars.  
  
The sun was starting to come up when Ryan finally decided that it was time for us to head home. He'd drop me off and then head home, most likely meet up with me on the train for school.  
  
As he pulled the cover off I realized just how cold it was, it was strange to be that cold in September. So the warmth of the car was very welcome. The ride home seemed to be quicker then the ride there, maybe that was because I slept most of the way home. But never the less, 20 minutes later we pulled up in front of my living establishment, and I got out before Ryan could run around the car to let me out.  
  
I stood in the walkway leading up to the house. 'Damn' how was I going to pull this one off without getting busted. 


	10. Chapter 10

I lay there staring at the ceiling waiting to hear the front door open. I turned to look at the clock, 5am had come and gone. It was nearing 6 am when I heard the car pull up in front of the house.  
  
The house was eerily quiet; Kevin was going to bust her sneaking back into the house. But then I heard a noise I never thought I would ever be grateful to hear. Giggling, coming from the kitchen, Emily and her friends must be awake. Great I wonder what they were talking about.  
  
I heard the front door click open.  
  
"Where have you been?" I heard Emily ask  
  
"Out, don't worry about it." came her reply  
  
"Where's Oliver?" a voice I did not recognize asked  
  
"Most likely where I left him."  
  
I laid back down and closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. I heard the bedroom door push open the rest of the way  
  
"You're awake, I know you are" Amy said as she entered the room.  
  
I didn't move, I knew she wasn't buying it, but we'd see how long she'd leave me alone.  
  
I felt her pull the covers back and climb into bed. I could feel her staring at the back of my head.  
  
"Ok maybe you are asleep" She said and I felt her shift. Good she'd going to let me sleep for a while. I settled in.  
  
But wait that was way to easy. No sooner had I thought it that I felt two ice-cold hands pressed against my back. I must have jumped 2 feet.  
  
"What's the matter, are my hands cold?" she asked sweetly  
  
"Nope, not at all." I said laughing  
  
We laid there in silence for awhile, when it hit me, she was on the only girl, I'd ever spent the night with, out of all the women I'd been with, I had never spent the entire night. Kind of sad. She was the only girl I've ever cared about in any way, so I don't know why that would surprise me.  
  
I opened my mouth to share this realization with her.  
  
"Thank you." I heard very softly  
  
I rolled over to face her "For?"  
  
"For whatever you said to Ryan," she stated like I was stupid "You did put him up to all of this didn't you?" she questioned  
  
"Actually Ryan came up with most of it on his own. I just told him where to take you."  
  
She looked embarrassed but recovered quickly "How did you know about that place?"  
  
"I have my ways, now let me sleep, we have to leave for the train in 4 hours." I lay back and try to sleep, but the truth is that it had been my idea. Ryan had come to me because I know her better then anyone. He'd asked if I knew any place special he could take her, or something he could do that she would really like. If the guy had half a brain he would have figured it out on his own, but hey, I did the right thing and gave him the hint about the stars. As if he'd never been in her room.  
  
I must have drifted off. Movement from the other side of the bed woke me up. Once I became aware of my surroundings, the sun became very obnoxious. Damn why hadn't I pulled the curtain before I went to sleep.  
  
More movement.  
  
'Now I know why I never spend the night with my lady friends' I thought to myself, 'they move to much'  
  
"Stop it" I groaned  
  
Giggling was the response.  
  
My eyes shot open 'oh god' I didn't want to move. I don't want to know who ended up in bed with me. I thought back to last night's events. Did I meet someone?  
  
No I'm in Amy's room she wouldn't have allowed that.  
  
"Out" I heard Amy yell from the doorway. "You heard me. Out" She walked to the end of the bed. "Now!" she grabbed the girl, whom I didn't recognize by the arm and dragged her out of the room, slamming the door behind the girl  
  
I sat up "I swear I didn't touch her"  
  
"I know you were drooling when I left you 20 minutes ago."  
  
"Who the hell was that?" I asked rubbing the sleep out of my eyes  
  
"Her name is Catherine, I think she's in Hufflepuff, not sure about that though, 3rd year I know that for sure, she's actually better then most of Emily's friends."  
  
She was standing soaking wet at the end of the bed. Running a brush through her hair.  
  
"I feel like I've been violated." I said throwing the covers off of me. And standing up to get ready. I glanced at the clock 9:30, ok I have a half an hour till we have to leave for the train. I am so tired; I guess I'll have to catch some sleep on the train.  
  
"You should feel violated, they must have been waiting at the door for me to leave." She threw my jeans at me, "Get dressed and we can get some breakfast."  
  
I did as I was told; I pulled on some clean clothes and ran my fingers through my hair. I was too lazy to search for brush, I ran down to the kitchen. And stopped dead in my tracks 'oh god they were multiplying' there had to be at least 8 of Emily's friends in the kitchen, Scanning the room, I noticed that Potter and Weasley were also there, I looked through the kitchen into the back yard, all of the Weasley's were there, with a whole bunch of other parents that I didn't know.  
  
I could see Amy sitting on the hammock all by herself way in the back of the garden. So I grabbed some stuff off the table and made my way outside, through the flock of people who had 'magically' appeared here. When I brushed past Percy he decided to accompany me to visit Amy. Deep down, actually not so deep, I think that Percy had a slight crush on our dear Miss Snow, but he would never admit it to anyone, especially since he already had a girlfriend, who conveniently was also here.  
  
"Aren't all these people going to make it difficult to get to the train on time?" I asked as I sat down next to her  
  
"Don't know, woke up and they were all already here." she said through a bite of something  
  
Percy and Penny sat down on the bench to the left of us "Dad was loaned some cars from the ministry for us to use today, so we decided to stop by to see if you all needed help getting there."  
  
Yah I'm sure that why you're here Percy. I heard a squeal from next to me, and Amy was up "Charlie?" he grabbed her and lifted her a good two feet off the ground into a huge hug. I wasn't sure where they knew each other from; except that this happened every time they saw each other, except normally he spotted her first which meant she was attacked from behind into a fit of laughter.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked as he put her back on the ground, Percy glared. The nerve of him right in front of his girlfriend, made me laugh though  
  
I didn't hear his answer I just know that she sat down next to him at the picnic table across from his parents, and next to I'm guessing one of Emily's friends parents.  
  
"So I hear you had a visitor in bed this morning?" Penny asked  
  
"The weird little creep crawled right into bed with a complete stranger." I said taking a drink of my juice "I didn't even recognize her, Amy swears she's a fellow student though."  
  
"Which one was she?" Percy asked arching his neck to see the group that had gathered not to far away.  
  
"uhhhh," I say while scanning the crowd. "Blonde one farthest to the back"  
  
Penny turned to look "She's kind of cute maybe you should go for it." was this chick serious, I have enough issues without throwing a third year into the mix.  
  
"We are leaving in 10 minutes, everyone going to school had better be down here and ready to go in 10 minutes." I barely heard him; I was engrossed in my conversation with Percy  
  
"Oliver that means you, get up and get ready." My dad called from across the yard.  
  
"See you on the train." I said before getting up and moving into the house.  
  
I ran up the stairs to Amy's room. Placing a packing spell on my things, summoning them all into place. It was great to be able to do magic outside of school. Nobody could tell me that I would get in trouble for using a simple summoning charm. Before I was allowed to do these, my father used to place things on the other side of the room, so that I would have to get up and get them. Really quite mean if you ask me.  
  
"Just me or is Percy kind of creepy today." she said putting the rest of her stuff in her trunk, and placing her owls cage on top of it. She had let Took go this morning, so he would meet us at Hogwarts. Beautiful great horned owl.  
  
She stopped pacing and looked straight at me  
  
"What?" I asked  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
"Didn't anyone tell you not to answer a question with a question?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing."  
  
"Percy has definatly shown his true colors today, I'm positive now that he's in love with you Am."  
  
"No he doesn't, you shut up, that's just wrong." she said rolling her eyes at me  
  
"Alright I'm just saying."  
  
"Well don't." she said walking out in front of me  
  
We made our way to the station without and problems. Everyone made it in one piece. 10 minutes before the train was to leave we filed on and found an empty compartment. I had originally taken, the seat next to the window, but Amy had other plans. She came in and forced her way between the window and me.  
  
"Don't mind me." I said moving over  
  
"Don't' worry I won't." she said searching through her bag.  
  
As we sat there the rest of my team began to join us. First the twins, then Lee, then the girls, minus Katie, probably off with the boyfriend, we'll have to tone that down when our season starts.  
  
Then my favorite Ravenclaw girl joined the car. Sitting directly across from Amy, Teri now there's a real beauty, to bad she had a boyfriend for at least the last 4 years. Hugh Randall graduated last year. Every guy in the school loved Teri; she was beautiful, sweet, smart, and athletic, just about everything you wanted in a girlfriend. Hugh was one lucky son of a bitch. Teri was a prefect as well; She and Amy had known each other since they were children. They went to the same muggle school neither one knowing that the other one was whom they are.  
  
I turned away from the two of them, because they were deeply engrossed in conversation, about the prefect meeting they had just had. I was just turning around to join the twins conversation, when Fred through something across the car at me. Completely missing hitting the window, and splattering the whole car with one of there new concoctions. Shrieking filled the cabin. And then wrestling, Between Fred and Amy, with a little Teri thrown in, whenever it looked like Fred was close to winning the match, Teri would reach down and tickle him until he was gasping for air and then Amy would pin him. This continued for about 2 hours.  
  
The train suddenly began to slow down. The lights began to flicker  
  
"What's going on, why we stopping?" Angelina asked  
  
"Must have broken down, we can't be there yet." Teri said  
  
The compartment began to grow very cold, and I felt Amy press into the side of me, and I pulled her in to protect her. I like the older brother role it was fun. We stayed like that none of us daring to move for the next 15 minutes before the train began to move and the lights came back on.  
  
"We'll be right back." Amy said grabbing Teri's arm and moving quickly out of the compartment. "We'll find out what happened."  
  
Just as they opened the door, they ran into someone that I can only imagine is the new Defense against the Dark Arts professor; we do seem to go through them pretty quickly. As they left the compartment, I turned to talk to my teammates.  
  
"Anyway, I've spent the whole summer, working with Kevin, Amy's dad ya know. He's come up with a whole new program for us guaranteed to get us that cup; we have to win this year. Fellow team mates."  
  
"Wood, do we have to start this on the train, Quidditch doesn't even start for another 4 weeks." George wined  
  
"Well if you guys don't want to win, you can be replaced. I bet I could easily find a few people dying to get on the best team in the school." I said  
  
"We all want to win Oliver, you know that." Alicia stated, "We just aren't even within the Hogwarts walls yet." They all looked at me hoping she had gotten through  
  
Sighing, I registered my defeat.  
  
Amy and Teri appeared in the doorway "Well?" Fred asked  
  
"Dementors."  
  
"What about them?" George asked.  
  
"That's what stopped the train. They were searching the train for Sirius Black."  
  
"Are you sure? They are letting Dementors n a school train?" I ask  
  
"I doubt they know whether it's a school train or not. Better that they are searching for him, then just letting it go unnoticed." Amy said forcing herself back in between me and the window.  
  
"But they didn't find him, all they've done is scare the hell out of people, even made poor Harry pass out." Teri said  
  
"Is he alright?"  
  
"Yes Oliver your star seeker is just fine, don't worry your cup is still safe." Amy said staring out the window  
  
"Can't I genuinely be worried about him?"  
  
"You could but your not, you're just afraid he will hurt himself and ruin your chances." 


	11. Chapter 11

We arrived at the school mostly unscathed. I was kind of aggravated with Oliver I mean poor Harry is going through a lot and he is more interested in whether or not he was going to with that damn cup. Personally now I hope he lost. There are more important things than a stupid trophy, although I would never say that out loud in Oliver's vicinity.

Off the train into the carriages same thing every year. It hit me while we were riding up to the school. This would be the last year I got to spend this much time with Wood. Then he would be gone, off to be famous and completely forgetting about me and all his other small time friends. I turned to look at him, and he was staring off across the lake.

Once out of the carriages we marched into the great hall taking our seats at the designated tables. Well most of us did. Teri and I had to hang back to make sure all the first years were not being tortured by the older students. Mostly the Slytherins, those kids could be the biggest assholes sometimes. If it were up to me, which it's not, they would all be gone..

I stood at the top of the stairs, watching the first years congregate on them.

"You know there are places in this castle where you can get lost for days. No one comes to look for you, because then they would also be lost," the first years all gasped

"That's enough Draco. Leave the young ones alone." Teri said rolling her eyes at her younger schoolmate. He laughed as he pushed his way past me with his followers into the great hall.

"Don't mind him. Most of the people in this school are very nice, but you will learn very quickly that not all are that nice. My name is Amy Snow. I am a prefect for Gryfindor, one of the houses. And this is my dear friend Teri Anderson, Prefect for Ravenclaw. But no matter what house you are sorted into, you are more than welcome to ask me any questions you may have. And that goes for any of the Prefects who you will all come to know. We will do our best to help you. There is no question to big, or to dumb, that I won't at least try to answer." I said smiling down at them hoping I did something to ease there stress

"Thank you Ms. Snow, Ms. Anderson," She nodded at us both "I will take it from here, you may go join your classmates." I nodded and we moved into the great hall. Separating from Teri at the door.

As I left Professor McGonagal at the top of the stairs I heard her starting her yearly speech, same thing every year. Your house will become your family. She wasn't kidding either; you really learn to love the people you are essentially stuck with. You are sorted in with people who are similar to you, so it's not as hard. I personally believe I was sorted into the best house. Even if I do get along with all the other houses, Gryfindor is still the best. Both of my parents and there parents before them, all had been sorted into the same house.

'Yep no doubt about it' I thought as I scanned the crowd, I caught Ryan's eye, as he sat with his harem, Now a lesser girl would be jealous, but I knew better. He may flirt with them, but he always comes back to me. I winked at him, as I took my seat next to Hogwarts most eligible, I could feel the younger girls eyes bore into the back of my head, and some of the older ones sneered.

"I see your fan club has already started." I say through laughter.

I watched him spin around to see what I was talking about.... As if I would lie to him or something. I really wish these first years would just leave him alone; actually they were second years now aren't they.

"You'd think that they'd get the hint." He said spinning back around to continue his conversation with Brett.

"You would think." I shrugged not really understanding what he meant. "Hello Kyle, how was your holiday." I asked the little boy sitting across from me. Katie's little brother, every time I, or any girl for that matter, talked to the poor kid he started to stutter.

"f...f...f...fine."

"Well that's good. Always like to hear how well my fellow classmates are doing...." I say trailing off, as Dumbledore brought the hall to attention.

He explained to the whole school, what Teri and I had been explained on the train. The dementors would be at Hogwarts for the entire year, or until Black was caught, which ever came first. Either way they were here for a long time.

"Prefects please lead the first years to their dorms."

"Gryfindors this way." I called as I looked at the little ones around me; I swear they get smaller every year. And it wasn't because I was getting bigger as Oliver liked to say

I led them down the corridor to the staircases. "Now this is the quickest way to the dormitories, but keep on eye on the staircases. They like to change from time to time." I heard one gasp. "No worries, they will eventually come to a secure landing somewhere. After a while you will know your way around the castle so well, that it will be no problem." I said giving them all a reassuring smile.

We reached the portrait hole, "Yellow Canaries" and the portrait swung open to reveal the common room. "This is where you can all be together. Boys your dorms are up the stairs and to your right, Girls the same on your left. Boys are not allowed in the girl's dorms. So don't try it you will be hurt."

"How will we be hurt?" a little blonde boy asked

"Well boys and girls, a long time ago, when the school was created. The founders placed on the dorms a spell that would keep those not wanted out of the girls dorms."

"And if you try it you will be quite literally bounced off." Oliver finished as he came down the stairs.

"He would know." I said punching him in the arm, as he flopped down on the couch in front of the fireplace, the little girls staring with wide eyes at him.

I turned over the piece of paper in my hand, "Girl first, Allison Hanley, Gemma Myers, Emma Price, and Michele Lock, first dorm. Kasey Brill, Holly Gribbs, Natalie Brice, Jacqueline Palmer, and Raquel Keller second dorm." I paused and looked at all of them, they seemed satisfied by the results. "Anyone left out?" the all shook their heads

"Boy's turn, Allaster Morgan, Jamie Taylor, Benjamin Martin, Bradley Thomas and Taylor Hardy first dorm. James McKenzie, Roman Bolles, Hugh Denethar, Anthony James, and Brady Miller second dorm." I looked at them, they also seemed pleased.

"Now hurry up to your dorms. You'll find that your stuff has already been brought up and your beds already turned down." and with that they ran up the stairs to their respective dorms

"Are there more of them this year?"

"Seems like it don't it." I said sitting down next to him

"I thought my English was bad, you have no excuse."

"Oh shut up." I say laying my head down on his arm.

He was staring at the fire, as if half expecting something to jump out and get him. "I was thinking, if I start training them next week, then we will have at least a month on everyone else."

"NO NO NO, we were having a normal conversation, no more quidditch talk ok, not tonight, wait till tomorrow."

"Why do you put up with me?"

"Because if you remember correctly, I was forced to." I say sitting up "Now your just so cute how could I not stick around." I leaned in and pinched his cheeks.

"Well, well, well. Look what I have found." I heard a voice from the portrait "What exactly are you two doing."

"Megan, my buddy, what's going, I didn't see you on the train."

"Yea I came with dad earlier, he had some business with the new professor." she stated sitting down on the carpeting in front of us.

"I see, so what's the deal with him." Oliver asked nudging her over with his foot.

"Well it seems that dear Professor Lupin," digging through her bag for candy, which she was always chewing on. "Is being watched by my father, don't know why, he wouldn't tell me." She pulled out a Sugar quill triumphantly

"Your rooming with me again, Traci saved you the bed next to mine. Or at least she was supposed to, Me, you, Mallory, Angelina, and Traci.

"Sweet, I'm going up to bed, long day, I'll meet you up there."

"I'll be there in like 10 seconds." I called after here

"Wow Oliver that quick huh?" she called from the top of the stairs. He glared up the stairs after her.

"Very funny Megan." He called after her

He was making his way over to the window, staring longingly out at the pitch through the darkness.

"Don't even think about it Wood, the pitch will still be there tomorrow."

He smiled as he turned around. "I know. Want to go flying tomorrow morning."

"Nope"

"Come on your good enough that you could stay up."

"If you want an audience I'll come watch you, I have something I need to finish before classes start tomorrow."

"Alright meet me down here at 5:30."

And that's where I left him staring out of the window, it wouldn't at all surprise me if he got his broom and went out there for a late night fly.

I ran up the stairs into my room, throwing myself onto my bed, my roommates were sitting around waiting for me

"What's the heartthrob up to?" Mallory asked from across the room, she's loved Oliver for as long as I can remember, I think that's half the reason she hangs out with me.

"He is currently staring longingly towards the pitch as if he'll never fly again." I say dramatically

"cuz he probably hasn't been on a broom in what 3 days?" Katie asked, she was currently crashing the room, her and Alecia, they were both the year below us, so consequently had a different room.

"They went flying yesterday, him and the dad's, mine included, and get this him and Ryan spent quality time together yesterday," whoops they don't know about me and Ryan.

"As in Ryan Wood, the same Ryan Wood, that he got into a fist fight with." Angelina asked

"They never actually came to blows, but yes that Ryan."

Traci sat up "And what happened?"

"Nothing that I know of. I'm going to bed it's late it's been a very long day." I rolled over and hugged my pillow "See you in the morning."

No sooner had I closed my eyes that I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder. I thought maybe if I ignored it maybe they would go away

"Get up the heartthrob is waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs." it was Mallory

Dammit why had I promised to go watch him? Oh ya because if he fell I wanted to make sure he didn't lay on the field all day. I got up, pulling on the clothes from the day before, and bouncing down the stairs two at a time, books in tow.

"Is my biggest fan ready to watch me work"

"I'm sorry I didn't realize your mother would be joining us."

"You are just so funny, maybe you should write a book or something," he said pushing me towards the portrait

The walk out to pitch isn't very long, but the dew covered ground was making it difficult to stay up right. There were many times when Oliver had to catch my arm before I landed on my ass.

As we entered the he pitch he mounted his broom, and I walked up into the stands, trying to maintain my balance. I had fallen down a set of bleachers as a child, and believe me the aftermath is not fun. I mean my body can easily heal itself now, but as a child I had to get muggle stitches, which your supposed to leave in for 6 days, mine healed in 4 hours, without a scar.

I sat down on the bleachers and watched Oliver disappear through the clouds, as I sat down in between the seat part of the bleachers, propping my books up, on the ledge. I had promised Dumbledore, that I would write an essay on my unusual gift, or curse depending on how you looked at it.

Bam

A quaffle hit the bleachers next to where I was sitting.

"Throw it back."

"Mine now."

He swooped in low over my head, reaching for it. With all my might I threw it out into the middle of the field forcing him to chase after it.

I went back to my essay, I'd been working with Dumbledoor privately since Snape had discovered what I could do. And after all that time, I still wasn't able to fully control it, however I was now able to channel it so that I could heal others. Which came in handy the other night, I don't know how he could stand that much pain.

I looked up; he was nowhere to be seen.

"Oliver?" I shouted over the pitch getting no response "Oliver?"

I ran down the bleachers to look out over the pitch, not seeing a body on the ground.

"Oliver where the hell are you? This isn't funny," I shouted up at the sky

Off in the distance I could hear other people talking, I shoved my stuff into my bag and ran down the stairs leading out onto the pitch

"OLIVER"

I could hear laughter coming from by the locker room. I recognized that voice, Flint goddamn. I break into a run, rounding the corner just in time to see Flint's fist connect with Oliver's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled


	12. Chapter 12

Amy tried to step in between the two of us, but a pair of hands grabbed her by the shoulders Jasper McClure was holding her securely in place while she fought against him.

"Every time your fist connects I'm taking 100 points from your house, its up to you Flint, you can get your satisfaction of beating him, but having your house hate you, or you can walk away and I won't tell anyone else." He studied her for a minute.

"You wouldn't, you can't Snape would never allow it."

"Try me!" She dared

He raised his fist and connected with my ribcage. Aw damn my ribs had just started to feel normal again, and now this ass is going to screw them up again. I watched Amy elbow Jamie in the ribs, and she started screaming a slew of obscenities that should never come out of any girls mouth, damn she's got a set of lungs on her. Movement from the edge caught my eye. Ryan and his friend Christian came into the locker room hallway.

And that's when it happened, Amy came up behind Flint to try and stop the beating that had been going on for oh about 15 minutes. I had to look good.

Flint, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here, because no one should hit a woman, Spun around and his fist connected with the side of her head, She stumbled back for a second, and Ryan sprang into motion, it was a flurry of fists between him and I beating the hell out of Flint.

Christian walked over to make sure Amy was all right.

"Stop it, Stop it, Stop it. Guys stop it, just stop." She grabbed me from behind and pulled with all her might, so that I stumbled and fell back on top of her. She wiggled out from under me.

"Stay there." she said pointed her long finger at me.

Chris knelt down next to me "You look like hell man." Thanks dude I really needed to hear that.

I propped myself up to watch the rest of the show Amy was trying to wrestle Ryan away from Flint. Unsuccessfully I may add.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagal "Explain yourselves." she demanded

Dumbledore and Snape followed shortly behind her

"Ms. Snow I would have expected better of you." she was scolding her

From my spot on the floor I managed to choke out between the blood spurts. "Professor, it's not her fault. She was trying to break it up."

"He would say anything to keep her out of trouble." Snape sneered

"I wouldn't" Ryan demanded. "I walked around the corner just in time to see Flint punch her in the head."

Dumbledore cleared his throat "Well judging from the state of things, I tend to believe you Ryan." He winked at Amy "Mr Flint, Mr McClure, you will report to detention with Filch tonight at 9 pm, And 200 points will be deducted from your house. I will not stand for physical violence on my school grounds."

"But sir, our house does not even have 200 points yet." Jasper argued

"My decision is final."

"Ms. Snow, please lead Mr. Wood down to the hospital wing." she nodded

Ryan walked over and helped me up, eyeing Amy carefully.

We had walked about 10 minutes before she spoke. "What the hell happened?"

"I landed to go change and then I was going to come up to get you, and they were waiting for me in the hallway. Before I could even ask what they wanted Jasper grabbed me and Flint starting punching." I shrugged through a shuttered breath "Then you showed up."

"You look like hell, you're coughing up blood, great, let it be a broken tooth or something not an internal problem."

"Missing teeth is not something I wanted on the first day of school."

"Better missing teeth then, lacerated kidneys?" she argued

I could hear someone rushing to meet up with us. Ryan and Chris most likely.

"What in the hell was that?" Ryan demanded. "Are you two insane, Flint could easily kill you with one hand tied behind his back Amy."

"I can take care of myself thank you all very much." But she was rubbing her temple on the right side of her head. "I'm surprised I didn't pass out."

"His beating would have been much more severe had he made you pass out." Christian said looping his arm around her waist. He was the Ravenclaw seeker, damn nice guy on top of it as well. "Not that I did any of the beating, but I promise my lovely had he made you pass out I would have been your knight in shining armor."

"Oh goodness what would I ever do without you, dear Christian," she asked her sarcasm practically dripping off the sentence.

Teri was now running across the yard towards us. "Oh my god, I heard what happened, are you two alright."

"How could you have already heard what happened? I haven't even made to the hospital wing yet." I asked through gritted teeth, my body was really not happy with me, I'd have to stop saying things to provoke Flint, it just wasn't worth it anymore.

"You look terrible," she said coming around to the other side of me.

I reached out to steady myself on Amy's shoulder, but I must have passed out because when I woke up I was staring at the hospital wings ceiling.

"Well Mr. Wood, you've given us all quite a scare, and on your first day back." Madam Pomfrey was checking my vitals.

"How long have I been out," I asked sitting up

"About 8 hours actually missed all your classes for the day, thankfully the first day back is never to stressful. But you will be spending the night in this wing, so I can keep on eye on you." she said opening the curtain so I could see the rest of the wing.

"Is he awake yet?" I heard a voice ask.

"Ms. Johnson, yes he has just awoken, you may go in to see him."

I saw Angelina walk around the curtain. She came and sat down on the end of the bed in front of me "First day back Wood, and your already getting into fights."

"Hey I didn't want to be in this fight, he jumped me I didn't stand a chance Johnson." I laughed as I sat up.

"Pomfrey managed to patch you up rather nicely. And you gave Amy one hell of a scare, She was so freaked out I'm surprised she didn't pass out with you. She left you on the lawn with Teri and Ryan, and took off into the school, she just burst into the Great Hall, screamed for Pomfrey and took back off out through the corridors, everyone thought she went mental. That is until we saw you being carried back up here on a stretcher."

I looked around the room, and on a small chair over in the corner was my best friend. Sound asleep. My eyes lingered on her, when Angelina spoke "She's been here all day, they let her stay in here instead of forcing her to go to class because as she explained it, she wasn't going to learn anything today anyway her mind was going to be somewhere else."

"No," Amy spoke up "That's not true, I simply told them I wasn't going, that they could deduct as many points they deemed necessary but I was going to be residing in the hospital wing." She sat up rubbing her head "My bloody head still hurts, that potion did nothing for the pain."

Angelina laughed, her and Amy weren't very close, and I think the main reason for that is Angelina slightly resented Amy. Which is sad because they are very alike in so many ways, they would get along fabulously.

"This chair is incredibly uncomfortable, how's about we ask if you can be sprung from this joint early, and we can all go down to the Great Hall for dinner." Amy asked hopefully

"Sounds great." Angelina said as she got up, they both went around the either side of the bed and helped me to stand.

Amy leaned over and whispered, "So help me god Wood, you ever pull a stunt like that again, and I'll kill you myself."

Amy had this strong fear of loosing people, anyone she was remotely close to she made sure that they were in perfect condition.

We didn't even bother to ask Pomfrey before we left just snuck past her while she was helping another student. She would probably run down to the Great Hall and drag me back up here, but at least I was free for a while. It was only then that I realized that I had never actually made it into my school uniform, and neither had Amy. Although while she was in a muggle pair of jeans and a tank top, I was in my pajamas, well a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, I had to look ridiculous. And I specifically remembered getting dressed this morning, so how did I get back into my pajamas.

As we entered the Great Hall I noticed that the room seemed unusually full for this time of night. Normally now that dinner was over everyone would be headed back to their common rooms to catch up with everyone they had missed all break. Maybe they were sticking around to see if the rumors were true, if Flint and I had already had an altercation before classes had even begun. As it turns out the later was more precise. All eyes on me, as I took my normal spot at the table, next to Amy, and across from Brett. Percy across and down, so that we could talk, I was rooming with him as it turned out. Him and the rest of the roommates who seemed to be missing right now.

I sat at the table, watching the food appear on my plate, that was always the best part of dinner. For as long as you were hungry, the food would continue to appear on your plate.

"So Wood, how's your day been?" Brett asked

"Oh it's been just great, I got to spend quality time with Pomfrey, and Flint, it's just been great." I said

I looked around the hall, god I was going to miss this place, even with Flint and all the other bullshit that comes along with this place. It's great it's one place where I can just be myself, be my Quidditch obsessed, over sexed self, without a father constantly breathing down my neck wanting me to call this scout or that scout. Not that I didn't appreciate all the effort everyone was putting into my career I did, but I want it to come to me because I deserve it, not because Kevin Snow called in a favor, which I had the slightest feeling was happening when I wasn't paying attention.

I felt someone brush up against my back, and hands placed over my eyes, "Guess who?" a sultry voice asked

"Jenny" I heard Amy say from next to me, "Whoops, my mistake you weren't talking to me."

I cracked a smile, "Oh Amy I didn't see you there." Jenny said sounding annoyed

"Yea I wouldn't imagine that you did," she laughed as she turned back to Megan.

"Ollie," I cringed, god I hated that

"Yes Jen," she sat down on the other side of me

"I was wondering if wanted to go for a walk with me?"

"I don't know Jen, it's been a really long day." I said with a shrug

"Come on babe, I'll make it worth your while." She put her hand on my lap and whispered in my ear. Good god, who knew Hufflepuffs could be so hot. I turned to look at her, Long blonde hair, Bright blue eyes, and the morals of an alley cat.

"Mr. Wood, will be going no where but back to the hospital wing," I felt a hand on my ear "Now, lets go" Pomfrey was now pulling out of the Great Hall by my ear, in front of everyone, I tried to reach for my stuff, but decided that I liked my ear attached to my body.

I saw Amy grab all of our stuff and take off after us. "And you Ms. Snow I am very disappointed in you, you should know better."

"I'm sorry Madam he was hungry, and you were so busy we were just going to bring him down here get something to eat, and then I was going to bring him straight back to you."

I was still being dragged back to the hospital wing, still by my ear I may add, "Ow, ow, I'm coming, I'm kind of attached to that ear madam, I will come along willingly" I stated hoping she would let go she seemed to get the hint because the pressure on my head subsided.

"I'm sorry Mr. Wood, but I looked all over this school for you" she sighed, "It's for your own good that you spend the night under my supervision."

"We understand Madam, it will never happen again." Amy smiled sweetly

"You two are going to be the death of me" She laughed "Ms. Snow, 1 hour, and then I'm kicking you out."

I laid back on the hospital bed and stared at the ceiling.

"You weren't really going to go with Jenny were you," I didn't move. "Oliver I don't believe you," She said as she kicked my legs off the bed "You couldn't wait until school ended last year, just to get rid of her."

"Yes but she's hot." My sentence was cut off with a slap to the back of the head. "Not as hot as you of course" that was accompanied by a bout of tickling.

I grabbed her and threw her onto the bed next to mine and started my attack she was incredibly ticklish. "No, No, Oliver stop," she managed through gasps for air "Wood, I'm warning you, let me up." She was now screaming.

I knew Pomfrey would come in any moment to find out why Amy was screaming.

So I had to shut her up, so I did what any guy in my position would do, I put my hand over her mouth to stop the screaming. At which point she licked my hand thinking it would make me let go, I was used to it by now. What I wasn't used to was the biting. Which is what she did next.

I grabbed her hand and forced them above her head. "No Biting" She snapped at me "No biting, it's not fair." She just laughed

"Get off perv."

"Umm no, I'm not done" and I started to tickle again

"Wood stop it." she screamed through laughter.

And without thinking I leaned down and kissed her, which shut her up instantly. It must have taken her a few seconds to realize what was happening because she didn't pull away right away.

I pulled away "Sorry reflex."

Amy laughed "Not a bad reflex." She pushed me off. "My hours up, I'll come and retrieve you in the morning."

She walked out saying goodbye to Madam Pomfrey.

I crawled back into my own bed, and rolled over onto my side before falling asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

I left the hospital wing, and almost immediately ran into Jenny. "He's not allowed to have visitors."

"Well you were in there." she smirked hands on her hips, nose in the air, freaking snob

"Yes, I was, and guess what Pomfrey made me leave so that he could get some rest." I spotted Teri down the hallway from me. "Ter. Teri, wait up." I noticed that she was walking with a whole bunch of her Ravenclaw buddies. They were stopped waiting for me. As I approached Teri handed me a handful of pictures over her shoulder. All of them were pictures of her and Hugh from their summer vacation. They had spent the summer in New Zealand; if these two didn't get married soon I was going to gag myself with how sweet they were.

Literally every picture was of her and Hugh, laughing, Hugh's 6'3 frame bent over to hold her, his brown hair all tousled. He really was a fine specimen, but I still couldn't understand how the two of them got together, they had nothing in common, and Hugh was a Hufflepuff, so it's not even like they ran into each other in the common room. But anyhow, they'd been dating forever.

After I was finished flipping through them all, I handed them back to Teri, "Nice, why didn't you show me these on the train?"

"I didn't think about it." She said with a shrug "Plus they were in my trunk." She turned to her friends, most of whom I knew fairly well. "We have to be off to a prefects meeting. I'll see you all in the common room later."

"So Amy" she said turning he attention back to me "How was your first day."

"I spent my first day staring at a passed out Wood. That boy is going to kill me someday." I lifted my shirt up, "Look at what he did." I revealed the bruises I had just received, that were already turning back to my flesh color.

"How'd you get those?"

"I slapped him, so he started tickling me, but it's more grabbing then tickling ya know."

"How's Ryan?" Teri knew all about Ryan because well that's what Teri and I talked about boys, and I had to tell someone that would be excited for me unlike my stupid friend Wood who just scowled at me when I told him.

I sighed, "He's fine I guess, I think he's mad at me for being out there with Oliver this morning, because I haven't seen him since then, and I'm pretty sure he would have followed us out of the Great Hall if he could stand the sight of me."

"I wouldn't worry about Am, he'll come around if he's still interested."

"I don't know about that Teri, he was pretty angry, I don't know why he expects me to just completely forget about Oliver when I'm here, I haven't been able to for 6 years, why would this year all of a sudden be different." We were nearing the room where the meeting would be held on the second floor.

"Is Percy in charge this year, of the meeting I mean." Teri asked

"Yea I think so, the Head Boy and girl are always in charge aren't they."

"As if his head needs to get any bigger. I'm telling you Amy he asks me out again, and I'm going to throw up." She shivered.

"Well he's got Penny this year, so maybe he'll stop." I said hopefully

She looked at me, with this look of are you kidding me. "It didn't stop him last year, did it?"

"Well no, but no one knew they were dating last year, now everyone knows." I whispered as we entered the room.

In the front of the room stood the boy we had just been talking about. Percy was giving the group the beginning of the term lecture. The only thing I get to do today and Percy is going to ruin it. "Now fellow students, there has already been one fight on the grounds today, they seem to be starting early this year so we will have to keep and extra watch on those involved." He shot me a look

"Oh shove it Percy." it was out of my mouth before I could even think the statement through.

"What was that Ms. Snow?" he asked with the tone of a teacher.

"You weren't there you don't know what happened so leave it alone. This year is no different from the rest, since when do we care about fights unless we are around to be able to do something about it, and Believe me Weasley I tried to stop it." I said in a huff

Teri leaned over and whispered in my ear "That probably wasn't a good idea."

"5 points will be taken from Gryfindor for you serious lack of judgment, Ms. Snow."

Now I was angry remember when I told you my problem was knowing when to shut my mouth, it was kicking in right now.

"You're taking points away from you own house you dumb git. And just as you can take them away so can I, so Percy for being an insuferable know it all, I'm taking 15 points. Maybe then you'll learn the first 5 times you ask a girl out, and she says NO, that she's going to say no the next hundred times."

I spun around to leave the room. "If you leave this classroom Amy, I'm taking another 20 points." I could feel my blood boiling in my veins, and Teri grabbed my arm to calm me down

"Well Percy if you feel the need to take more points then be my guest."

"Amy, I'm warning you." he had now dragged me out into the hallway where they couldn't see us argue.

"Warning me about what? What this all about, oh wait I know, I was out of bed with a male student before breakfast, and you don't think it's proper." I turned to walk away from him

I heard him stomp his foot behind me "Yes that's exactly what this is about. What were you doing down at the pitch this morning, by yourself with Wood?"

"Why exactly do you care" I asked spinning back around "Percy if I wanted to Snog Oliver, I could do it anywhere, I wouldn't need to just do it on the pitch." I walked back up the staircase, intent on going to the common room.

"That's another 25 points for leaving the meeting early."

"Make it 50 Percy, then we will get all your sexual harassment in one lump."

"That is enough from the both of you. Imagine my surprise sitting in my office watching what little points we have from the first day of school dwindling in front of my very eyes." Professor McGonagal said sternly from the top of the stairs.

"I will restore the points in a moment, but the two of you need to stop this immediately. I don't know what's going on here, but I am sick of the fights between you two. This year is going to be different." She stood with her hands on her hips, the Headmaster behind her.

Dumbledore winked at me from behind her. "Everything has been taken care of Professor, no need to worry. Mr. Weasley go back to your meeting. Ms. Snow follow me."

I saw Percy smirk; he thought he was getting away with something here. That he had the last laugh, well, we will see about that I'm sure I can get his brothers to do something extra special just for me although they rarely need an excuse.

"I am very disappointed in you Amy." McGonagal said as we walked back towards the headmaster's office.

"He started it professor, he seems to think that the fight this morning was my fault, and that we were down at the pitch for impure reasons, the only reason I was down there was to prevent something like this from happening." I turned to look at her "Can you imagine how bad Wood would be, if I hadn't come in when I did?"

"Yes it was good you were down there, but arguing with Mr. Weasley must be put to a stop. And in front of all the new Prefects he is going to have a hard time controlling them now." She said firmly

"Professor you know that if I catch them disobeying him, I will deduct points myself. But he needs to understand that he's just a student like the rest of us." I sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk.

He looked at me, his blue eyes peering over the edges of his half-moon glasses. "Did you bring your essay for me?"

"Yes sir" I said digging through my bag for it, "Here you go"

"And did you get any practical experience this summer."

"I fixed Oliver's rib 2 nights ago, who knows how he is doing now though, they hurt him really bad this morning."

"What did he do 2 days ago?" McGonagl asked.

I turned to face her "Quidditch accident?"

She shook her head and turned to face Dumbledore, "Really Albus, is it a good idea for her to use her friends as guinea pigs?"

"Hey he could have said no, and went down to his parents, if it weren't for me he'd probably still be walking around with a broken rib." I protested. "May I go now Professor, I need to catch up on all my schoolwork that I missed today."

Dumbledore nodded, as did McGonagal "Ms. Snow, we will continue as we did last year, every Wednesday, 7pm."

I got up and walked out of his office. Teri was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

"How bad?"

"It was nothing, surprisingly, I thought for sure I was done for." I grabbed my other bag from her, which I must have left on the floor, when I stormed out of our meeting. "It's been quite a day, accompany me to the library"

"Of course, my dear." we linked arms as we walked down the hallway. "By the way what we were discussing about Percy earlier, about him not asking us out this year because of Penny, yea we were totally wrong, as I was leaving he grabbed my arm and asked me if I'd be interested in going to Hogsmead sometime."

"And did you say hey Weasley, my boyfriend is loaded and gorgeous, you don't stand a chance." I asked laughing. "Or or or, did you just say eww gross go away."

We walked down the corridor towards the library laughing so hard I'm surprised we were still standing upright. Percy was one of those guys that didn't exactly get the hint, he had been asking out half the girls in the school for as long as I can remember, but it seemed within the last few years he focused on Teri and I, it was really kind of creepy.

We found seats by the fireplace, so that we could still talk and not be shushed the whole time. Teri and I had met each other in grade school. Because of my accent, I was teased a lot because I didn't sound like everyone else, kids can be very mean, plus weird stuff happened when I was around. We got along so well, and were so disappointed that we weren't in the same house. Teri was sorted first, and when she was put into Ravenclaw I knew we were separated, the whole lot of my family had been in Gryfindor for centuries, both sides, so unless I asked to be placed in another house that's where I was going. Plus Oliver was a Gryfindor. That's where I needed to be. But in 6 years we've managed to remain very close friends.

It was a rough go for a while because Megan kind of encroached on her territory, but they have since decided that the other is cool.

"Behind you," Teri said pointing

I felt someone lean down onto the back of my chair. "What's up gorgeous?" Ryan whispered in my ear.

"What are you doing down here. Imagine Ryan Wood in the library, are you sick."

He plopped down in the chair next to me, "No, we've already been put into a group project and the girls I'm with decided we would meet in here every night for the next 2 weeks, until the project is due. Imagine that a huge project on the first day of school."

"What class?" Teri asked

"Muggle studies. We have to pick a topic write about it, and then present it to the class." he leaned forward. "I got paired up with the, umm how do I say this, dorks of the class, they love me, so I'll let them do the work and then I'll present it."

I glared at him "You will not use them like that, your flashy smile will not work forever, go over there and do your work."

He stared at me with those beautiful green eyes. He then leaned in so that our noses were practically touching. "The pitch, 15 minutes." and then simply got up and went back over to his table

"Hey who did I get paired with?" I shouted at him

"Not sure, wasn't really paying attention."

"You've gotten in over your head." Teri said shaking her's

I gathered up my things "You have no idea."

"What?" Teri was up and following me "Tell me, come on Amy tell me."

"It's nothing really, Oliver and I were wrestling, and he must have forgotten who he was pinning, because he kissed me."

"Wow, that had to be awkward?"

"Not really because I know that there is nothing behind it."

She stared at me. "Do you honestly believe that?"

"Look Ter, the way I see it, is if it was going to happen. It would have by now." I shrugged "It's just not a good idea."

She stared at me as if she didn't really believe it, both her and Megan had been trying to get Oliver and I together for years. Neither one of us really thought it was a good idea. We were friends and that's the way I wanted to keep it. Plus I was involved in a relationship, albeit secret but a relationship just the same.

"Well Amy, I have to owl Hugh tonight, he's supposed to be meeting us for our first Hogsmead weekend."

"Send him my love. Goodnight, I'll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow."

"Yep I saved you the spot as my partner, as always."

I walked back down through the school, trying not to be noticed as I snuck off the to pitch, I was in enough trouble for one day, I should probably just go to bed, and sleep the rest of the day away. But I couldn't leave Ryan there waiting for me. After all I had kind of promised right. I justified to myself.

I pulled my cloak tightly around my body. It was freezing out here. It was really way to cold for September, thankfully the ground had dried out so I could easily walk down there without falling on my face.

"Amy?" someone questioned from behind me.

I turned around to see Cedric, and a few members of his team, walking towards the pitch. God he was a good looking boy, things just didn't work out between us, no real reason why, just decided it was time that we both moved on. It was really hard at first, because I really did care about him, but after awhile Ryan came along, and things became a lot easier.

"Yes Cedric." I questioned

"Why are you going down to the pitch, I thought Wood was in the hospital wing?" he asked quizzically.

"He is but I was down here with him this morning, and I think I may have left some of my stuff up in the stands." I eyed the equipment "Training already? Turning into Wood junior."

"I don't think anyone else can be that bad Amy." It was some girl, whose name I wasn't that sure of

"And you would know this how?" Cedric stepped in between the two of us.

"Let's just say Oliver and I know each other very well."

"Oh yea, you and about half of the female population at this school." This was Cedric's way of making light of the situation, he was doing a shitty job.

I saw Ryan coming down the walk towards us. Great now what was I supposed to do. Ryan would get the hint, and keep going, but I just felt guilty.

"Back so soon Amy. I would have thought you'd had enough of the pitch for one day." Ryan questioned eyebrows raised at my present company.

"One would think, I'm only here because I think I left some of my stuff in the stands." I motioned towards them "Breaking up fights wrecks havoc on the brain." I forced a laugh.

"Well I will accompany you, as to make sure nothing else happens." Ryan said offering me his arm.

"That's alright I can manage on my own." I said turning to go up and look for something I knew damn well wasn't there.

Ryan grabbed my arm. "I insist."

"Ryan, I think she wants to be left alone." Cedric interjected

"Hey Diggory stay out of this will you." We were almost at the pitch and I left Ryan waiting at the base. Looking around for my imaginary in the stands, before conjuring something up so I didn't look like a complete idiot. I walked very calmly back down the stairs, and started up to the castle. Ryan two steps behind me.

We reached the side of the castle that very few people were ever entering this time of night. When he kissed me. Sneaking around was fun. Now I remembered why I did this.

We made out for a few more minutes before Ryan broke the kiss and without a word turned and walked into the castle, leaving me standing there alone. I cut my loses for the night and went up to bed.


	14. Chapter 14

It was now 4am, and I had been lying in the same position for the last 6 hours, and could not sleep. If I rolled over I risked alerting something that I was awake and then someone would come in and force-feed me some sort of sleeping potion, and I liked to be in complete control of my own body, not under the effects of some mind-altering substance.

I was not under control yesterday though, what was I thinking kissing her. That is the point Wood you weren't thinking, even my conscience has an opinion today. Well who asked you I thought. I was really loosing it lately; I'm having an internal argument with myself. My thoughts fell short when I saw someone walking around outside my curtain.

This head moved around the edge of the curtain and groaned internally, I forgot she was a medi-witch in training. Valerie, this girl has been following me around for years, and I made the mistake a few years back of actually talking to her, which I thought would defuse the situation. But only seemed to make it worse. Every few weeks I would hear a story of how I became her knight in shining armor. I had barely had a whole conversation with the girl in the 7 years that we'd known each other. Thankfully, she was in Ravenclaw, so she couldn't watch me sleep, or something equally creepy.

I clamped my eyelids shut so that she wouldn't try to talk to me. This girl would probably give me some weird potion, so that I would declare my undying love for her, and then she'd be off planning the wedding.

She stood there just watching me, I could feel it and frankly it's freaking me out. Think I'd scare her if I sat straight up in bed and said Go Away really loudly. Ha I make myself laugh, imagine the look on her face, it would be a cross between did he just talk to me, and then the realization that I just told her to go away.

"How's the patient?" I heard Pomfrey ask

"Beautiful" was the reply. Um, no.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up Valerie, seems him and Ms. Snow have become even closer over the summer. I didn't think that was possible." Great how much had she seen, it would probably be breakfast gossip.

"Amy doesn't know just how lucky she is, I mean he's such a great guy, I don't understand all the things I hear about him, he's never been anything but nice to me." Valerie said as she filled the table next to my bed.

That's because I very rarely talk to you.

Pomfrey laughed from her spot at the end of the bed. "He certainly is a heavy sleeper, although I'm guessing he'd have to be, to spend all the time with the Snow's. I can't see the fights between those sisters being an less loud in the privacy of their own home."

You have certainly got that one right Madam. At least at school they seemed to realize that there were other people around, but in the privacy of their own home, it was like Amy, and Emily were the only 2 people on the planet. Believe me their fights could become something of a handful.

"Well, Ms. Hopkins, why don't we move onto the next patient?"

"Yes, madam."

I heard her move away from the end of the bed. I could still feel her eyes on me, nice enough girl but this always creeped me out, I barely knew her yet she knew every fact about me. She had tried to befriend Amy years ago. Amy had been nice enough at first but as she explained to me months later. The conversation would inevitably turn to the topic of me. After about 2 months, Amy started to avoid her, which by proxy meant that I also had to.

And now here I am, stuck in a hospital bed, in my pajamas, stuck with a girl who frankly freaked me out.

She stopped at the curtain. I heard her turn around and sigh.

Did these girls honestly believe stalking was their best option?

Give me a forward girl any day. I thought back to Jenny. She was the poster child for forward. She was pretty obvious that the only reason she dated me was for the sex. Which she raved about to all her friends. They kept me laid for most of last year though as luck would have it. Seems that they enjoyed sharing everything.

Amy wouldn't even share drinks with her sister, these girls where sharing sexual partners. Made you think about what went on behind closed doors in their dorms.

However as great as that situation was. Jenny became very possessive by the end of term. If I were seen talking to another girl, for any reason, including my players, she would hound me for days about it.

My dear friend Amy took great pleasure in making sure Jenny saw the two of us together. And even though Amy was dating Cedric and everyone knew that. Jenny would still freak. It all became too much for me to handle, so about 3 weeks before the term ended, if I wasn't on the pitch I was holed up in my dorm where she couldn't get to me. Bloody annoying, as that meant I would have to send Amy to the library to retrieve books for me to study for my finals.

I had never been more excited to be on the train home, Amy and Cedric has called it quits, she was coming home with me, and I wouldn't have to see Jenny until next year. I thought back to dinner, that girl didn't waste any time. Unfortunately I could not be any less interested. I think I was starting to want, 1 girl, and the only girl that came close to my dream girl, was currently dating my cousin.

"Get up." accompanied with a slap upside my head.

I opened my eyes, to see Amy standing next to me.

"What time is it?"

She glanced down at her watch, "It is currently 7:48am, and you need to get up, because you can't miss 2 days in a row in the first week."

Amy had brought down my uniform, complete with boxers, socks, shoes, even my bathroom kit. I think that was her hint that I needed to shower, or at least shave. Part of the uniform was that you be clean shaven at all times, shirt tucked in, shoes polished, at least while you were in class.

"Where do I shower down here?"

"There is a shower at the back of the hospital wing, Pomfrey said you could use It." she smiled at me "But be warned Valerie is still on duty, so you may have a surprise visit."

"Please Am, I beg of you keep her occupied for the next 15 minutes, it will be the fastest shower I have ever taken." I would have dropped to my knees and begged if I thought it would have done me any good.

She just nodded and went off to find Valerie while I gathered my things and headed to the back of the wing. The showers weren't that fabulous back here, but they would do at least I wouldn't smell for the rest of the day.

I undressed as quickly as possible and jumped under the hot water, I had to be quick because I knew she would only give me a 5-minute grace period. I was beginning to realize that my so-called best friend, liked to see me in awkward situations. She just found them incredibly amusing. For instance last summer, my aunt decided that I needed to go out with a nice girl, and I accepted because my aunt wouldn't let it go, she spent weeks telling me how beautiful this girl was, and how she had a great personality as well.

So the big night came, I was in my good robes, because we were going to a nice restaurant, I went to her house to pick her up and play the gentleman role with her parents. Everything was going great I talked up her dad for a few moments and then her mother came into the room and we chatted. And then Alanis came down the stairs, she was huge, and still is I may add. I have tried very hard not to judge people by their appearances but she was huge, and she wasn't all that attractive. But I decided to do the proper thing and go out with her as planned. Supposedly we had a lot in common, both only children. And that's where the similarities stopped. She was mean and pompous and felt that the whole world revolved around her. While doing the proper thing, I was forced to sit in a very nice restaurant, listening to her complain about how horrible her life is, and that she felt like she was being used by everyone.

When to my horror, who do I see walk through the door, Amy, Teri, Hugh, Michael, Megan, Traci, and Mallory, they had gone to the theater that night, and had decided to come to this particular restaurant for dinner, if I could have died on the spot it would have been magnificent, but alas I was stuck. I was forced to introduce everyone to my 'date' from hell, and after they had been seated a few tables away, forced to listen to Alanis talk about everything the girls were wearing and what was wrong with it. It was all I could do to keep my mouth closed, because the girl sitting across from me was wearing an outfit that wouldn't fit her if she went down 3 sizes.

Needless to say I did not live that one down for a while. To this day, if we pass a very large girl, Amy will ask me if I'm interested, or Teri will make a comment. But that's not even the worst part, Alanis still owls me from time to time. I have run out of excuses as to not go out with her, and Amy refuses to play the part of girlfriend if she comes around again she likes to watch me squirm.

I looked down at my watch, 15 minutes exactly; I threw on my boxers, pants and undershirt, and opened the door to signal it was ok to allow Valerie in. Instead Amy came in and sat on the sink next to me.

"What?"

"Nothing" she replied

"Do you have to sit right there it's making me nervous." I said lathering up my face

She shrugged "I guess I could sit on the floor."

"No, no it's fine" I said as she went to jump off the sink

"Did Valerie bother you at all last night, because I'll pound her if she did, you need your beauty sleep," she said grinding her fist into her palm, reminding me of her sister just days ago "God knows your not getting enough of it."

"No she was fine, I just didn't sleep well last night." I looked at her perched on the sink next to me, her long brown hair hanging down over her shoulder, perfectly dressed in her school uniform, with a skirt that I still to this day couldn't figure out how she got away with. The professors let it slide because the said her legs were so long, and her waist so small that she couldn't find skirts of proper length. Even Snape let her slide with it, although I think he fancied the way the skirt moved when she walked. She said all the time it didn't matter how short the skirt was she was wearing a cloak over it, but I firmly believe if it were anyone else there would be a problem.

She was always dressed immaculately, never a hair out of place, or a wrinkle in her clothes, makeup always perfectly done. If there was ever a man who met her and didn't fall immediately in love with her, I was yet to meet him. Yet it had taken Diggory ages to ask her out, and he only did so after he had asked my permission. Diggory was a nice enough bloke so I didn't protest too much.

I looked back at my reflection, while Amy sat there in silence, mindlessly twirling her wand in her fingers. She pointed across the room, and mumbled something that must have been a dewrinkling spell, because my cloak, shirt and sweater were now wrinkle free.

I wiped the soap off of my face and ran my fingers threw my hair to get the water out.

"So what do you have first?" she asked swinging her legs back and forth on the sink

I pulled my schedule out of my pocket where she had just seen me fold it up and stick it "Double Potions" I groaned. "I swear if we didn't have to take potions I would never step into those dungeons again."

"Oh you would so miss Snape's smiling face" she stuck her finger in her throat and gagged herself "Sorry made myself sick there."

I heard the door click open, and turned to see who was coming, Val stepped around the blind "Oh Amy I thought you had left."

"Yes well here I am"

"Oliver Madam Pomfrey wants to see you before you leave, needs to give you a clean bill of health."

I nodded at her reflection, as I continued to try to tie the new ties we were forced to wear this year. It was probably my 4th attempt when Val walked over "Here let me help, I had a very hard time tying mine this morning as well.

"She positioned herself in front of me, She flipped it around and had it good in about 2 minutes. She undid it "that was a little sideways"

I glanced at Amy was fighting the tears. The knot tightened around my neck a little to tight and I choked "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, are you alright, I'm such a moron" she exclaimed quickly loosing it up.

I laughed "Not a problem" I shot her a smile so she'd feel better "It's nice and straight now."

"Yes well, be sure to see Pomfrey before you leave." and she backed her way out of the room running into the panel as she left. I rubbed my throat, and then glared at my friend who was practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Don't look at me like that, I couldn't have tied it for you, Well I could have tried it magically, like I did with mine, but the end result would have been the same." She hopped down off the sink as Ben opened the door.

"I'll take it from here Amy, thanks for all your help. We'll meet you down in the hall in 10 minutes," he said walking over to me

"Ok but I'm timing you," Ben watched a little to closely as she left the room.

"Damn Wood, how do you do it?" He asked as he turned back around.

"Do what?" Ben and I had been friends since getting sorted. Waters, Weasley, then Wood, sorted in that order, back to back into Gryfindor. We got along increasingly well as we grew up, and now he was my link to sanity in that dorm.

Michael Kemp, Brett James, Sam Palmer, Ben Waters, Percy Weasley, and Myself, it had been the same dorm since we started here 7 years ago. Couldn't find a more unmatched but close bunch of blokes

We protected each other from Percy, especially when we needed the room for entertainment purposes. Many nights had been spent camped out on the common room floor, while someone used the room. Jenny and I had many late night "study" sessions.

From the moment Amy's picture went up, she had sent it to me as a Christmas present, along with a lot of other stuff. All of my roommates had become obsessed. I was also told all that year if when she came to school the following year she didn't look exactly like she did in that picture the would hate me forever. Six years in school with her, not a single one aside from Percy made a move.

"Do what, manage to hang out with her and not pant all over her." He yelled

"Well Ben as I've told you before I enjoy her parent's confidence."

"Screw confidence, I would have shagged her the minute I got feeling in my balls."

I took my books from him "Tell me you have Double Potions as well."

"Yep had to, if I want to Ace my NEWTS."

"Thank god, who are we with?" I asked weekly

"Slytherin, Flint shouldn't be in it again Wood, he took it last year didn't he?"

I shrugged "No clue."

I waited at the entrance of the hospital wing, waiting for Pomfrey to release me into the world of living

"Mr. Wood, you may go," she yelled from a back corner "I don't want to see you again for a long time."

We exited the hospital wing and walked straight into the rest of my roommates, minus Percy of course who was making rounds

"Welcome back, Wood." Mike called over a crowd, who turned to stare

"Time for Breakfast," Ben said giving me a hard shove towards the great hall

The trek to the great hall was a short one, and we entered the hall like we owned the place. Pretty cocky, but we were 7th years we had paid our dues, we deserved the respect.

I sat down next to Amy, who glared across the table at Ben. He sheepishly looked back at her "5 minutes, just 5 minutes, and it was Pomfrey's fault anyway."

"Whatever. I needed to talk to him" she said motioning towards me "But now I have to find Briann, before class." She got up

"You sat in the lavatory with me for half an hour, why didn't you talk then."

She leaned down, "Not a conversation you have in the lavatory."

She started to walk out of the Great Hall, which was given away by the head tilts of all of my roommates, as she walked away cloak over her arm. "Common Room, 6pm." she called over her shoulder without turning around. I could see Briann waiting for her

"Damn" I heard Mike mutter under his breath

"What do you two need to talk about, did you make a move on my future wife?" Sam demanded

I looked at them disbelievingly, "You can't all marry her, you do know that."

"Who said anything about marriage?" Ben asked, and received a slap from Brett "Did you see the rack on the new Puddlemere seeker, damn, now that's the girl to marry." Ben stated to anyone listening

"Nah she's a butterface" Brett said "Ya know everything is good But-Her-Face," groans all around everyone

This topic turned into defensive talk, whose strategies were better and so forth, it was no use talking to these clowns, they didn't have a clue. Before we knew it Breakfast was over and we were on our way down to the Dungeons.

We had assigned seating, and for the 7th year I would be sitting with Madeline Zim, a fellow Gryfindor, who let my copy all over notes, while I came up with new plays in class.

"Ah, Mr. Wood, so kind of you to grace us with your presence." Snape said to snickers from all the Slytherins.

I nodded and took my seat, as Madeline passed me yesterday's notes "Madeline it will be a pleasure spending the rest of the course with you."

"As always, Wood" She said before shoving her nose back into her book.


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh Briann, you are a lifesaver, I will have your notes back to you by the end of the day, I promise." I yelled as I sprinted down the corridor towards transfiguration. I could see Teri standing at the entrance waiting for me.

"What class do you have with Briann Taylor?" she asked leaning against the wall

"Classes, actually, Muggle Studies, and Arithmacy."

"I've never heard her talk."

"She's very quiet that's what makes her such a good note taker." and it was the truth, Briann took better notes then anyone I had ever come into contact with, it was amazing, I think she had a spell placed on the parchment to record the entire class, because she would even write down questions.

Teri handed me her notes from Potions, History of Magic, and Herbology, so much for not doing much on the first day. "Now why didn't you give these to me last night, when I had nothing better to do."

"Because you were copying Megan's Tranfiguration notes.

"Will you be joining us Ms. Snow?" I heard McGonagal ask from the inside the classroom. Teri and I exchanged a look as she sprinted off down the hallway towards Divinination. I stopped taking that class right away because according to Trelawny I lacked the foresight to be any good at it. Teri on the other hand was very good at it. She predicted a lot of things all the time; she was especially good at predicting which boys liked other boys we'll say. It was uncanny, up until Oliver turned into the sex crazed boy that he is, I asked her at least once a week, if he played for the other team, and she always assured me that he was straight, not that I would have loved him any less had he not been.

I walked into class and took my seat next to Megan, which just happened to place me in front of Cedric, and his stupid friend Mark, I hated having to deal with that kid when I was forced to, and now Megan goes and picks a seat right in front of them. Note to self, 'Kill Megan.'

"Did you finally decide to join us today Amy?" Mark asked with that smug look on his face, I'd like to kill him but that would most likely land me in jail, which is somewhere I really don't want to be.

"Oh yes, Mark, I just couldn't live another day without seeing you it was killing me inside." I responded without turning around.

"See Ced, I told you that she was just using you to get to me," he said laughing

I heard Cedric huff behind me, he always believed that I was with him for some reason other then the fact that I wanted to be. Although a lot of people said I swapped one Quidditch freak for another, at least once in awhile you could look at Cedric, and he would just know to shut up, he would know when you had reached the breaking point. With Oliver that was no off switch. It was like he didn't get that other people had interests that were not the same as his and other people thought about things that were more important then a silly little game.

I glanced at Megan, she was writing a note, which she slipped under my nose 30 seconds later.

Written in sparkly purple writing, she liked to make things different, it drove the teachers crazy, was this

_I am so terribly sorry, I was here first believe it or not, and they sat down behind me._

_The first thing out of Diggory's mouth was, "soooo is Amy in this class" that boy has it hard for you Am. When I told him about Wood's little run in, and he just kind of grimaced and started taking notes. It was almost as if he didn't want to hear about you and Wood anymore. _

_Wouldn't he be surprised to know what happened last night?_

I glanced up for the table and glared at her, how could she possibly know about that the only person I told was Teri, and I made sure no one else was around when I divulged that information. I looked back down and continued reading.

_You and Ryan should really be more careful if you don't' want anyone else to find out. I just happened to be walking back from the forest with Davies_

What the hell was she doing with Davies

_And what should I see but my bestest buddy being snogged by Ryan Wood, what would everyone think._

She was staring at me I could feel it

_You could have told me you know, I wouldn't have said a word to anyone, just like I won't tell them I saw you two together. I have Davies convinced it wasn't you, that it was some 4th year, more Ryan's style anyway._

_We need to talk when class is over. Wait for me in the hallway._

_Meg_

I picked up a spare piece of parchment from in front of her while listening to McGonagal's lecture

"Class today you will be given the majority of the period to take notes on chapters 1-4, at the end of the period I will be coming along to see how much you have accomplished. Don't work to fast there will be a test and an essay on what you write today, take you time and be thorough."

I dipped my quill into my boring black ink.

Megan,

Look I'm really sorry about keeping anything from you, but it's sort of new and you know how Ryan is who knows how long its going to last. As for the Cedric stuff it was his idea to call it off in the first place so he really needs to get over it.

What's this stuff with you and Davies, wait until Wood finds out your snogging the Enemy, I was almost disowned last year. After class would be perfect, you can walk me to muggle studies with said Ryan.

Amy

I slipped the note back to her. And she read it with a smile on her face; she really was a great person to keep around, mostly because she had candy wherever she went. She was even known the try the Weasley's creations when she was running low on her own stash. They would come into the common room when one of them would announce "Anyone want some"

To which Megan would look up from her chair and everyone would groan. Out of Megan's sweet innocent face, would come something like..

"Is it chocolate, because if it's chocolate, I'll take it."

Which would normally be followed by one of us saying, "Meg, who knows what its going to do to you."

To which she would reply "Well they are bound to have an antidote"

She went out with Fred a few times, as she says he's the lesser of two evils, literally.

I opened my book and started to take notes, and continued doing so for approximately half the class, I had made my way through the first two chapters and decided I would finish these later and copy Briann's notes for Muggle Studies

I was almost through the last page of notes, she had only taken 7 when a shadow crossed my page. I looked up to see a very gruff Professor looking down at me. I handed her what I had accomplished during the allotted time.

"Ms. Snow, I would like you to stay after class. We have something we need to discuss."

"Yes madam."

I finished Briann's notes for Muggle Studies and placed all of my books into my bag. It was such a cool messengers bag, that my annoying, yet totally killer sister purchased for me.

"Class dismissed" I waited silently at my desk while everyone else filed out. Megan shooting me an I'm so sorry type of look.

When everyone had left I approached her desk. "Why is it Amy that you spend less then half the time given working on my assignment then everyone else in the class, and manage to get more done then anyone else?"

"I don't know?"

"And why is that most people can study themselves to sleep, and not pass my tests and I see you in the hallway 15 minutes before class reading over your notes and you get A's"

"I have a very good memory, Professor."

"Yes, that my child is very true. You and your sister both I'm afraid."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked leaning forward against her desk.

"No certainly not. But think of what the two of you could accomplish if you actually put some effort into it."

"Did Emily get this speech yesterday?"

"No, she will be receiving it today, both of you are just like your father. Superiorly gifted in most aspects of this world, and only really pushed himself in one."

It was true, my father was tremendous in school, he was Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, and just all around great student. It makes me sick just thinking about it. Emily and I inherited that from him. My mother was also very intelligent, but she had to work at it, whereas my father could read the back of the book and tell you exactly what it was about. In detail.

"Himself and Mr.Wood, always causing trouble, I should have known then their children would cause me just as many problems."

"But Professor we are not half as bad as those two were. I've heard stories, from them and from their wives."

"Now in that case you are right, now hurry off to class, can't miss two in row, now can we?"

Megan was waiting for me out in the hall. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing real, just the beginning of the year speech." I shrugged "Now Amy, if you would just apply yourself" I said in my best McGonagal accent.

"Oh that one again." Megan stated as she pushed me through a crowd of first years. "Must be nice to be brainy and beautiful."

"Ha, Ha Funny Meg, comedy is really the way you should go."

She laughed as she left me at the entrance to the Muggle Studies classroom. This was probably the best room in the castle. It had every Muggle invention going, well the cool ones at least. Bean Bag chairs surrounded the room, in many bright and disgusting colors. There was an enchanted T.V. set that played the same thing over and over again, day after day. Along with many different sports balls.

"Ms. Snow," I heard Professor Martingale say before I had even had a chance to seat myself.

"Yes Professor?" I questioned while taking a seat at an empty table.

She eyed me carefully "I assume that you have the notes from yesterday?"

"You would have assumed right."

"Sniping with the teacher on the first day?" I heard a familiar voice say

"I'm not sniping with anyone she started it." I said as Ryan came into view beside me

He just laughed, as one of the girls in his group glared at me.

"Ms. Snow?"

"Yes Professor?"

"Since you and Mr. Wood seem to be getting along so well today, I think you can work in their group for the project."

"Excuse me Professor but our group is actually the one that's a person short?" It was Davies trying to save me from working with Ryan

"Where ever you want to put me is fine professor." I stated as I smiled at Davies, Roger was a weird kid but a very nice one.

"Well then Mr. Wood please have her join your group." She stated before sitting down at her desk. This woman didn't like me, can you tell. She didn't like me for the simple reason that I aced everything she threw at me in this class because I had grown up, basically as a muggle. I knew how every invention worked, and what everything was for. She had assumed when I started the class because of my bloodline that I would be as clueless as the rest of the class.

Professor Martingale, had attended school with my parents, and despised my mother. Mostly because I think she wanted my father. So she took it out on me and Emily, it was my fathers idea to take this class. 'Just think of how easy it will be for you Am." yea yea easy for him to say, he didn't have to put up with her.

Ryan led me over to his group, which consisted of two Hufflepuffs, Miranda Kline, and Jessica Abbott. One Ravenclaw, two if you counted Ryan, Robin Tombs, and one Gryfindor besides myself, Genevieve Robertson whom in all my years of being in the same common room, had never had more then a two second conversation with. This ought to be really fun, I thought as I sat myself down.

"So Amy we had already picked our topic but if you have any suggestions." Miranda said through gritted teeth.

"No, no, I'm sure whatever you had picked will be just fine." I said not wanting to cause any more problems then I already had.

Robin passed me her parchment, on which they had written forms of transportation. Were they freaking kidding, must muggle traveled the same way we did, minus floo, portkey, and apparating, oh and don't forget brooms.

I looked at Ryan who must have been thinking the same thing, "Um ladies I thought we had decided on muggle sports."

"Well we had but then a few people pointed out just how easy this would be." Jessica said giggling at Ryan,

I should have just kept my mouth shut, "Well yea it ought to be, must of them our the same as ours."

It was silent for the next 25 minutes before class ended as we worked on, who would go first and such in our line up.

Before the class ended, Genevieve asked what I thought a good topic would be, and I casually mentioned, household electronics. To which everyone all of sudden thought was a great idea, mostly because Ryan decided it was, freaking amazing he wasn't even going to work on this damn project yet they were going to let him decide what would be written about. So that was set we would work on household electronics, which we had yet to cover in the class.

I left the class in a major hurry, dropping Briann's notes from the previous day in front of her while thanking her again and again. And running for the exit.

I could see the boys a little bit in front of me, but as there were at least twenty people in front of me I didn't see how I could possibly make it through before we reached the great hall. And then I saw it, a break straight through the middle.

"Excuse me, Excuse me," I said as I gently pushed the little second years out of the way. I physically yanked Brett out of way, and latched myself to Wood's arm. "Save me, I have just been put into a group with Ryan," I said dramatically leaning on him

"Have fun doing that one all on your own," Sam stated while laughing at my dramatics.

"Oh no, it's not just me and him, it is me him, and four girls who want to rip my eyes out whenever I speak. "You are not good for my health" I add hip checking him.

It all happened so fast the next thing I know I'm hanging upside down, with Oliver's shoulder digging into my ribcage. I didn't even fight it I just allowed myself to be carried down into the great hall. Although the fact that I wasn't helping was turning me into dead weight, which I could tell because he kept shifting me.

I could see from my spot Percy running down the hall no doubt in order to yell at us for this. "Percy alert put me down."

He dropped me to my feet instantly. "Oliver do you think it's a good example to the younger students to see you doing that." he asked waving his finger at us. "And Amy, don't you think you should have stopped him."

"Percy you don't want to know what I'm thinking right now." I was yanked by my waist into the great hall, before another round of points could be deducted. I sat down across from the twins, "Your brother is a tool"

"Yes that we already knew." George said throwing a piece of bread at me

Fred looked up interested "What did he do now?"

"Nothing really except ruin all my fun." Oliver said before pouring himself some sort of green liquid. "What did you guys do to this?"

I watched their faces intently they were up to something. "It's been my experience that anything that color is never good for you."

Oliver brought it to his nose and smelled. "To which I hit the end of the challis causing him to pull it away from himself rather quickly, as not to spill on himself.

"That was almost to easy."

"That's it no Birthday presents for you this year."

"But I love birthday presents." I protested


	16. Chapter 16

"Well that should teach you a lesson then shouldn't it." I said while she laid her head on shoulder.

"You wouldn't really take back my presents would you." I didn't answer her and just continued eating. "Screw you then, I'm going to talk to Teri." she got up and left the table, making her way over to where Teri had just entered

"What kind of stuff do you buy her, Mate," Mike asked while leaning his elbows on the table.

"This year it's a necklace she say in a store front, I've had it for like 6 months. I had her mother go and buy it for me while we out shopping one day."

"Jewelry?" Brian asked, "She's not even your girlfriend."

"It wasn't that expensive, and she really wanted it, so why not?" I shrugged

"You're making us all look bad," Brian added

"Isn't that Jem?" Sam asked pointing towards the entrance to the Great Hall "And her friend. Wood didn't you go out with her friend?"

"I was set up with Alanis yes." I replied hanging my head in shame. "Are they coming over here?"

"Wood?" I heard a nasally voice ask, "Have you moved or something because I've owled you like a million times this summer and didn't get a single response.

Imagine that, I thought to myself "I haven't been at home very often. I wasn't aware that you attended here Alanis."

"My parents felt it would be better for me to be in a school environment this year, instead of private training. I was here my first year, you know" she said while Jem eyed all of my friends, that girl would screw anything. And she wasn't even attractive, she's one of those coyote ugly girls, where you wake up after a one night stand and would rather chew your own arm off them risk waking her up.

I turned around on the bench, looking over to the Ravenclaw table, where Teri was making the must disgusting faces. "No I wasn't aware that you did go here, what house are you in?"

"Hufflepuff."

I continued to stare at Teri; she was just having the most fun possible with this situation. But Amy was nowhere in sight.

"Wood, I was thinking, maybe this weekend we could meet up in the Library, catch up on all the things we've missed in each others lives." She said looking at me hopefully

I felt someone place their hand on the back of my neck, Which caused me to tense up, something that I did not normally do. But there was something about this touch that made me jumpy. "No this weekend he will be busy." I heard Amy's voice say from behind me

"Oh yea and what will he be busy with?" Alanis put her hands on her unusually large hips "Because from where I'm standing their isn't much competition." she smiled at Jem, who was also smiling triumphantly as if they had won the argument.

"Alanis right?" Amy asked leaning against my back

"Yes" was the only answer she received.

"Do not try to match wits with me, you'll loose." She stated before reaching around and grabbing the parchment from in front of me. "And your right, there is no competition, because I won before the war had even started, now hurry back to your own table, and annoy the people that have to deal with you."

Alanis and Jem looked like they had been slapped in the face, they turned to go and collided not so gracefully with Teri's extended leg. Sometimes I was so grateful to have those two on my side. They were great allies, but I tremble for those who have them as enemies.

Teri was one of those people who I learned early on, would fight tooth and nail for her friends, but was as quite and demure as could be in every other situation. While Amy let her true feeling be known, and as long as you were nice you did not have to endure her wrath. They were also both extremely loyal, to each other, and to all the other friends that they have.

Alanis had made it approximately 3 feet before I heard her say, "Isn't that skirt a little short for school?"

And before anyone could stop her Amy announced to the whole dinning hall "Isn't that uniform a little tight for breathing?"

To the shock of everyone she just huffed and continued her way out of the hall. "I don't like her." Amy said without moving from behind me. "I remember her now, she was a huge pain in the ass when she went here, I didn't recognize her without her sidekick at the restaurant, but now I do."

"Yep, Hufflepuff sixth year, Jem's been here all along, as you all know, because she's tried to sleep with all of you. But Alanis"

"Has most definatly packed on the pounds, I mean she was never a thin person, But Damn." Amy finished Teri's thought

"And how do you lovely ladies know her?" Fred asked joining the conversation as he and the majority of my team had just witnessed the events.

"It's a very very long and complicated story." Teri said linking arms with Amy "Shall we go."

"We shall" Amy replied before bowing away from us

"Maybe we should set her up with Flint" I heard Teri say as they were walking away

Amy laughed, "Now they would have some beautiful babies"

I shuddered at the thought, those two naked, 'Stop it Wood' I scolded myself internally

From the entrance hall I heard "Wood don't forget six o'clock"

"Ok so that makes practice at 7, prepare for a long night" I said turning to the part of my team that was seated not to far from me. The twins, Spinnet and Potter. "Make sure to find Bell and Johnson, and let them know."

My roommates and I left the great hall and parted ways. I was on my way to History of Magic with Sam and Ben. The hallways were fairly deserted, as lunch was still ongoing. So we didn't have to push our way through.

"I've never seen Amy like that, it was kind of hot," Ben stated

"Like what?" I asked

Sam actually responded "Like truly pissed. I've seen her and Emily get into it. But she was hateful today. I agree with Ben it was hot."

"You two are deranged," I stated pushing open the door to the classroom. "She gets like that a lot, she doesn't like other girls."

"She has girl friends, Teri, Megan." Sam pointed out

"Well, I don't know." I said exasperated. I took my seat behind Ben and Sam and pulled out my playbook. My roommates seemed to have taken the hint, as they didn't bring Amy up again. I was really getting sick of talking about her with them.

I sat alone at my table as the class began to file in. Someone sat at the very last table behind me. I turned slightly in my chair to see who was behind me. Much to my delight it was Madeline Zim, Another class that I didn't need to pay attention.

I turned to face her she was buried in a book again. "You could sit next to me, I swear I don't bite."

Her head shot up so fast I'm surprised it didn't come off. "No that's ok." she replied before going back to her book

"Seriously Zim, come sit here I need all the help I can get." She smiled and moved forward

"Did you get yesterday's stuff?" she asked quietly

"Yes Ben gave it to me."

"Copy mine." she said pulling them from her bag

I laughed, "Ben's not that thorough." I heard a giggle escape her.

I started to copy her notes. "This class wouldn't be half bad, if someone else taught it. Someone that made it interesting."

Professor Binns choose this moment to glide into the room, so she didn't have a chance to respond.

The class went on as usual boring droning on type of way. And the rest of the day seemed to fly by from one class to another, the homework just piled on, at least I had awhile to do it. This is where I needed Amy to be the same year as myself; she was so good at this stuff, even if she waited till the last minute to get it done.

It was 5pm and I was currently sitting in the library working on a homework assignment, that if I started it tonight and worked for the next 2 weeks I probably wouldn't get right. Why did I take Arithmacy, it's not like it's a class you would use in the real world anyway, not like I'm going to sit at home the night before a really big game and figure out my opponents numbers so I can see what type of player they are. I sat back in my chair, and ran my hand through my hair.

Someone pulled out the chair across from me. I looked up and nearly fell off my chair, "Can I do something for you Emily."

"Yea I was wondering who that girl was that my sister was fighting with this morning?" She said staring me down; I noticed a table full of her friends watching us.

"Why are you going to encourage her?"

"No, I want a shot at her, Nobody talks to my family like that and gets away with It." she said folding her arms across her chest. "Wood would you please pay attention to me, your freaking Quidditch can wait." she continued snatching the parchment from in front of me. "Wow this is actually homework, I didn't realize you actually knew what that was."

I reached across and grabbed it shoving it into my bag along with the rest of my stuff. "Ok your done." I stated as I got up from the table

"Wood tell me her name," she demanded

I turned to look at her. "Try being nice next time." I turned my back on her and began to walk away "Besides your sister would have killed me."

I heard her huff and go back to her own table, to many whispers.

I hadn't made it 10 feet before someone grabbed my shoulder. And Teri fell into step beside me "So standing up to Emily, Wood that can be dangerous." she said laughing

"Since when do you call me Wood?" I asked "I could start calling you by your last name, how would you like that?"

"Be my guest." She smirked. I always liked Teri she was a good influence on Amy, she mellowed her out a little bit, but Amy seemed to have the adverse effect on Teri. Strange things happened when those two got together. "So how's your girlfriend?"

"My girlfriend?" I questioned

"Yes Alanis, how is she these days, she looks comfortable, what with all the weight she has put on."

"That's not funny."

"Oh on the contrary I find it highly amusing." she nudged me "Just think if your ever snowed in somewhere with her, she'd provide sustenance for weeks."

I couldn't help but smile. "She would feed a lot of people."

"But seriously, are you seeing anyone this year?"

"Why, Teri, are you interested?"

She looked taken aback, "Maybe a few years ago Wood, but I am in a happy committed relationship."

"Ahh yes, Hugh, how could I possibly forget." We had come upon a big group of people, and I got behind her to fit through the crowd.

"I was actually wondering, because there is this friend that I have that you would just be perfect for."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea, she's pretty, she's smart, she has a family that you would just love, and I think the two of you would get along really well." she finished as we had finally pushed through.

"Well then I will have to meet this mystery woman."

She turned to look at me "Actually you are, at 6 o'clock in your common room."

"So Amy's in on this also then?" I asked

She looked at me, with a look that could only read dumbass. "You really are dense, you do realize that."

"No. I'm not, I'm very confused at the moment."

"Your dream woman, IS Amy." she said hitting the is very hard "And someday the two of you will realize this."

"You think so do you?" I nudged her with my shoulder, Teri had been trying to get the two of us together for, well let us see, I've known her for maybe 8 years now, so probably 7 years. "You forgot one little thing."

"Oh yea? What's that?" she questioned

"She has a boyfriend."

She stopped dead in her tracks "So that's the only thing that is keeping you from asking her out, the fact that she's dating Ryan, are you kidding? I could easily get her to dump Ryan."

"No, no, no that's not all the factors, trust me." I said shaking my head furiously "It's very complicated."

"You two kill me," she threw her hands up in the air spinning around to face me "Tell me something. The kiss, did you feel anything? Anything at all? Because if you did, you have to act on it."

"How do you know about that?" I asked so that I didn't have to tell her the truth

"I know all when, will you realize that," she stated matter of factly "Now answer my question."

"We will talk later." I said before entering the Gryfindor common room, just as the portrait swung closed I heard Teri yell

"So not fair."

"What's not fair?" Amy asked from her spot on the floor in front of the fireplace. Where it seemed that she had spread out most of my homework., It was only 5:30 and everyone was mostly down at dinner, so the common room practically to empty, with the exception of Madeline and her friend Mia.

"I thought we were meeting at 6." I asked before sitting down on the couch behind her, and kicking her shoe

She didn't turn around but continued with her homework. "We are. So leave me alone for the next 30 minutes."

I pulled out some work, I could have done my homework, but I was in the mood for training, so that's what I was studying. I had to get this team into tiptop shape for the first game. For a while this is how we sat, her doing homework, me pretending to, it was an interesting evening to say the least.

I glanced up at the clock and noticed it was 6. "Did you eat anything?"

"Not a whole lot, but I'm not really hungry, I kind of lost my appetite." she said coming to sit on the couch next to me.

"Why what happened?"

She laid her head back on the couch, and stared at the ceiling. "I need you to do me a favor?"

"Anything." I could see her fighting back the tears "You know that."

"Well I heard a rumor today, that my so called boyfriend has another girlfriend on the side." She said not even bothering to wipe the tears away

I put my arm around her and pulled her into me. "So you want me to talk to him?"

"I want you to find out," she said leaning against my chest "Because of it's true he's gone."

My heart skipped a beat when she said that. Ryan would be gone, I get my best friend back all to myself

"Do you think it's true?" I ask playing with her hair

"I have a feeling." She stood up from the couch "I'm going to bed, my head hurts from all the crying."

I stood up and gave her a huge hug. "You deserve a guy that is not going to make you cry."

"You find me one," she said before moving up the stairs.

"I think I know just the guy." I say out loud to myself. "And now for practice."

And with that I was on my way to the pitch for a very long night of Quidditch.


	17. chapter 17

Three weeks had gone by since my talk with Oliver about Ryan. Three weeks where I had spent the majority of my time in the library with said Ryan. If he was cheating on me, he was damn good at hiding it.

Oliver had yet to get me any concrete information, but he had yet to go to the source, he was just asking around.

Speaking of Oliver, I had seen very little of him over the past few weeks, the first Quidditch Game of the season was fast approaching and he was spending more and more time out on the pitch. I would often see his poor team, leaving before the sun came up, and coming back to the castle long after the sun had gone down. Angelina kept begging me to talk to him but I barely saw him so when would I get the opportunity to.

So here I am it's about 2:45, and I am sneaking into the boy's dorm. It was freezing in the tower tonight to, it really shouldn't be this cold in October, but hey what can you do. I cracked the door to there room, and I could here snoring. It was loud and impending, but I know from experience that Oliver did not snore, so I would just stay away from where the sounds were coming from.

Al the curtains were drawn around the beds, except for Ben's, whom I am afraid to announce, sleeps naked. I closed the door behind me so that I didn't wake anyone up, and lit the tip of my wand very dimly, and walked to the bed that last year had been Oliver's; I pulled back the curtain slowly, just in case I had gotten it wrong. And alas I had, this time it was Mike, also naked. Jesus doesn't anyone in this dorm wear clothes, I walked to the middle of the room, and looked around for a moment, and finally caught on the edge of the nightstand was a picture of Oliver and I from when I was just about 10, now if one of his roommates is waking up to a picture of the two of us I will be worried.

I walked carefully and slowly over to that bed, kicking crap out of the way, and stepping over the loud stuff. I pulled back the curtain and there he was, curled up on his side, face buried in the pillow. I knelt down on the floor and put out my wand, pulling the curtain around me so I didn't wake anyone up. I looked down, and noticed that he actually had pajamas on, see now this is how you should sleep, I would have to give those other boys a lecture in the morning.

I reached forward and pushed his hair off of his forehead, he turned his face towards the palm of my hand and opened his eyes slowly.

"Hi" I whispered

"What's wrong?" he questioned

I shook my head, "Nothing."

"Is it raining?"

It was common knowledge that I was terrified of thunderstorms, terrified. I would have to sit in the common room with Oliver staring out the windows, making everyone very nervous

"No, I just haven't seen you in awhile."

He moved over in the bed and lifted the covers, "You sure your ok?" he asked as I climbed into bed

"Yes. I'm fine." I laid down and rested my head on the pillow next to his

He draped his arm over me, and kissed the top of my head. "I've missed you, peanut."

Oh dear, no one has called me that in years. My parents used to call me their little peanut when I was very small, before Emily was born, because I was so tiny. Oliver heard the story about 4 years ago and thought it was cute, so he started calling me that. Now he normally did it when he was telling a story that no one was supposed to hear, and he'd say my friend peanut, to which I would give him an evil look. But to this day no one had figured out, to the best of my knowledge, that I am peanut.

Teri would have had a field day. 'Oh Am how cute he already had a pet name for you.' Gag me Teri.

"I'm going to head back to my own bed if your going to be mean."

"I'm not being mean I'm being honest," he whispered back

"Were you aware that you may be the only guy in this room with clothes on."

"NO. I'm pretty sure Percy is dressed to." he laughed

I snuggled up closer as he continued "And just think I'm the only one with a girl in my bed."

"Ben should really stop bragging, either that or shut the curtains, because he's not all that well endowed." I could feel him laughing all though no sound was emerging. "Mike on the other hand, is he seeing anyone?"

"Your dirty, and I don't allow dirty girls in my bed." he said shoving me

From across the room I heard "Wood man keep it down"

"Yea man, silencing charms, that's what they are for."

"They aren't going to go back to sleep are they?" I whisper

"Probably not, your best bet is to make a run for it." He laughed handing me his robe to throw over my head

Which I did, promptly, throwing back the curtain and running out the door straight into the arms of none other then the pompous head boy himself, Percy Weasley.

"And just where do you think your going?" he asked not realizing who I was

I tried to push past him but he grabbed me "Let go." I said forcefully

" I have had quite enough of my roommates antics over the last few years." he said leading me down the stairs

I dropped the hood on the cloak and glared at him.

"Amy, I had no idea, who were you in there with?" He asked amused with himself. "Keeping our Quidditch captain company?"

"Good night Percy" I said walking up the stairs towards me dorm "By the way only one of us smells like sex, and that someone happens to be you. Late night rendezvous in the Prefect bathroom again?" I turned to see him turn a great shade of purple "Tell Penny I said hello next time, or maybe I'll just mention it to her."

"Now Amy there has to be a way we can work this out." he said looking at me with pleading eyes

"There is you will never mention that you saw me here." he nodded "You will leave Oliver and Teri alone." again he nodded "and finally if I catch you screwing around on Penny I will personally tell her all the things I know about you." for the third time I received a nod.

"Goodnight" he whispered barely audible

"Goodnight"

Well I was proud of myself, truth is I knew he was probably with Penny, I'd caught them before in the bathroom, which I may add, It's a damn shame Percy didn't resemble Charlie, or Bill for that matter. And he had nothing on Oliver. Oliver was sculpted like a Greek statue, kind of sickening when you think about it.

I cracked open the door to my room slowly, it squeaked, why is it when you try to do stuff slowly it makes the sounds worse. By the time I was done Megan was sitting up in bed.

"And just where have you been?" she questioned

"Bathroom, who closed the door?" I ask

"I did" she replied "Bathroom huh?" she looked me up and down, "And you happened to pick up Oliver's robe in the bathroom?"

I smiled at her "How did you know it was Oliver's?"

She winked before pointing to my shoulder which coincidently now had a captains pin on it. "That and I figured that's where you had run off to," she laid back down "Mostly because I was in the bathroom, and you weren't."

"I could have been in the Prefect's bathroom, although I think that was occupied"

"Oh now that was a mental image that I never needed."

I glanced at the clock, which now read 3:45; great and I needed to be up in like 3 hours, another freaking Prefect meeting, these things were getting ridiculous. I lay down and willed myself to go to sleep, and it must have worked because the next thing I remember is waking up and seeing that I had a half and hour to get down to the meeting, which was just enough time to shower and get dressed before I headed down there. It was a Saturday and here I am getting up at the freaking crack of dawn so Percy can yell at me for being a horrible person.

I grabbed all of my stuff and ran down the stairs to the common room, pausing at the bottom to make sure no one saw me in my pajamas they were kind of slinky, well not really but they were pretty, and comfy, and satin. No one here good, I pulled my bathrobe on and literally ran all the way to the Prefects bathroom, this was the one good thing about having this stupid position, that and I got to tell people what to do, that was always fun to. I turned the huge shower on and ran over the mirror and brushed my teeth, I always hated these mirrors because they talk to you.

"Hello Miss Snow, looking quite fancy today."

I smiled as I spit the toothpaste back into the sink, "Thank you."

"Dressed to Impress I do say" said another mirror

Need I mention that all of the voices were male, which just makes it weirder?

I ran back over to the shower that was now billowing steam out to the whole room. I pulled the curtain closed and disrobed and stepped under the hot steam.

"I wish I had looked like that when I was alive," I heard a whine

"Now Myrtle we have had this conversation, you are not supposed to spy on me or anyone else in the shower." I say grabbing the towel from the hook and throwing it around myself. Damn me I left my wand back in my room.

"But I want to be you." ok now that's just creepy "Your alive and in color."

Ok a little less creepy. "Well thank you, but please let me finish my shower."

And with that she flew away, I don't really care if she sees me, she's a ghost, but she also has a big mouth, and tells everyone she meets what she has seen. Then everyone looks at me like a ghost pervert or something, like I was trying to entice a ghost, instead of just trying not to smell.

The rest of my shower went by without a hitch, and with 15 minutes to spare, I threw back on my bathrobe and ran back to the tower, so that no else who was up this early would see me, for example Professor Snape, or even Professor Lupin for that matter. I don't think I'd ever be able to look either one of them in the face again. I ran into Hagrid this early once, in slightly the same condition, it perplexed me as to what he was doing in the castle so early, but he just turned bright red and walked in the opposite direction. It could have been because I had Cedric in tow and it was fairly obvious what we had been up to.

But today luck seemed to be in my favor, that is until I reached the portrait and she was no where to be found, "Freaking things they have one fucking job and that's to let me into this god damn room, not roam around the castle at will." I said out loud to no one

"Such a mouth this one has on her." I heard a portrait across the hall say to me

"Do you know where she went?"

"I'm right here deary no need to be impatient." I said the password and she let me in, which is a damn good thing to, because I would have freaking slaughtered that damn thing. I bolted up the stairs and pulled on clean clothes. Jeans, long sleeve fitted shirt, and a zip up jumper, some nice trainers, and the drying spell on my hair so that it didn't drip down my back all day, up into a messy ponytail, I shoved my wand into my pocket and ran for the door.

Down in the common room, the rest of the Prefects of different ages were also filing down to the classroom where we were to meet. Of course Percy was no where to be found, probably already down there pacing the room, trying think of new ways to torture us all.

It wasn't a long journey to the classroom, but it was still rather cold in the castle, stonewalls suck at keeping in heat. I leaned against the doorframe and waited for Teri, who arrived a few minutes after I did. "You're on time?"

"Shut it," I say following her into the room

"Seriously Amy, let me feel your head, are you sick." which she proceeded to do, "Nope no fever, but there must be something wrong, because your on time, and your showered, how did that happen?"

"Your asking for it Teri, now shush, the almighty Percy has things he needs to say." and did he ever, he stood at the front of that room for 45 minutes bantering on and on about ways to improve our jobs, and what we could be doing to prevent certain things. I need to mention that not once during this 45-minute period did he look at me, or acknowledge my presence in any way shape or form. However I did catch Penny's eye for a moment and she blushed 15 different shades of red, when I winked at her. 'Ahh so she knows, I know'

"You may all go." he finally said after what seemed like an eternity

Teri and I walked towards the Great Hall where we would be treated to a special breakfast because we were so important to the school, or some bullshit like that. "Wood down at the pitch this morning?" she questioned

"No Diggory has the pitch booked this morning." it was Davies "I know because I tried to book it for myself. And he already had it."

"I see," Teri responded without even looking at him,

When we entered the Great Hall it looked completely different, it had big round tables set up 2 of them to be exact directly in front of the professors table. Damn I was not sitting with the Slytherins, I don't care if I was related to half of them, it wasn't going to happen, I'd rather sit with Percy. Which is what I did, I dragged Teri over and stuck her in the chair next to me.

20 minutes later I excused myself and went back up to Gryfindor tower with the objective of waking Oliver up as rudely as possible. Once inside the Common Room I noticed that Madeline had also left the breakfast early, or maybe she hadn't gone at all because I couldn't remember seeing her there, now that I think about it.

"What up Zim?" I ask while making my way over to her. She was so quiet she needed someone to spice up her life.

She looked up from the book she was writing in "Not a whole lot, what about you?" she questioned.

"Not much, I'm going to go wake Wood up, want to come watch, it should be fun."

"Shouldn't you let him sleep I mean he's been forcing his team to work so hard they need their rest," she inquired

I shook my head, "Your funny, but no, Wood deserves to be woken up rudely and often."

And with that I made my way up the stairs to the boy's dorms. I couldn't knock because then it would wake him up, and I wanted to do it personally. So I opened the door, and luckily the naked boys were covered up, Ben was actually awake, and sitting at one of the desks, and Sam was on all fours looking for something under the bed. They looked up from their spots and stared at me.

I put my finger to my lips and made my way over to Oliver's bed. I drew back the curtain very slowly and stepped inside of it, and climbed up onto the bed, so that I was standing with one foot on either side of his body, 'Aww he looked so cute when he was sleeping'

I bounced, it didn't wake him, and so I inhaled deeply and screamed "RISE AND SHINE SLEEPY HEAD." while bouncing up and down

He sat straight up in bed, which caused me to loose my balance and tumble backwards through the curtain onto his trunk and finally land on the floor with a loud and disgusting thud. Two words came to mind 'Dumb Amy'

Nobody moved for a good 30 seconds, and then I started to laugh, "That ought to teach me."

Oliver jumped out of bed and picked me up from my position on the floor because it seemed I was incapable of doing it myself, he set me down on the trunk, while I laughed and cried at the same time, my ankle felt weird, and I was sure to be in pain for a few days from that fall.

"I'll take you to Pomfrey." he said picking me up again

"Um Oliver you may want to put on some pants first." I laughed as he pulled a clean pair of jeans out of his trunk and pulled them on while Ben was keeping me upright. The rest of his roommates were staring at me trying to decide whether it was cool to laugh or not.

He walked towards me "Do not pick me up again, just help me down to her."

Let's just say he's a hard head and he did it anyway. I could tell he was angry, I couldn't tell if it was because I had woken him up, or because I had hurt myself in the process. My sister was sitting in the common room as we went back downstairs.

"What happened?" she yelled as she followed us down the hall towards the hospital wing

"I fell." I said because Oliver hadn't said a word yet

"How did you do that?" she asked

We had reached the Hospital Wing and he set me down at the entrance. Pomfrey came running into view. "What has happened now?"

"I think my ankle is broken I need you to set it before it fuses back together."

She pointed to an area behind a curtain. Oliver once again picked me up and moved me to the bed. He stood at the head of the bed, as Pomfrey gave me some potion that would take the pain away. She moved around the end of the bed and slowly pulled until I felt it snap back into place. I could immediately feel it getting better.

"Anything else?" she questioned.

"No I'm fine." I said getting up

"She hit her head pretty hard." Oliver spoke up

I glared at him "My head doesn't hurt."

"Maybe it should be examined anyway, see if there is really a brain in there."

"You can leave anytime now."

He pushed the curtain open and stormed out of the Hospital Wing.

Pomfrey looked at me concerned. "You may go, but even the slightest headache and I want you back here immediately do you understand?"

"Yes Madam"

I looked around the wing; I don't know where Emily went. Oh well I would just have to find her later.

I looked both ways and caught just who I was looking for as the rounded the corner.


	18. Chapter 18

I had made it to the end of the hallway when I felt two arms wrap tightly around my chest, and felt her hands clasp in front of me. I reached up and grabbed her arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she kept repeating until she had me laughing again. I leaned forward, and pulled her arms up around my neck and she wrapped her legs around my waist.

"That was quite the fall you took this morning, peanut."

"Yes it was, it was actually kind of fun, until I hit the ground."

"It was kind of like idiot gymnastics."

"Gymnastics? That's it no more Muggle Olympics for you." she laughed sliding off of me.

We walked down the hallway the rest of the way in silence. She really had hit the ground rather hard this morning and had scared the crap out of me in the process.

"So why exactly were you in my room again this morning?" I questioned

"Well Davies mentioned that Cedric had the pitch this morning, so I knew you would still be in bed." she shrugged "Come with me I left something in the shower."

She led me down a corridor I had never noticed before, and pushed back a tapestry saying the password. The room opened up into a huge and I do mean huge bathroom, the size of which I had never seen before. Huge bathtubs and showers, "Wow I should have been a Prefect." I said mouth open "Is the boys this nice?"

"Um, not really, the girls is much more fancy." she said looking for whatever she had left in here

I looked her over "How did you get into the boys?

"If you have the password you can get in anywhere," she stated

"So Cedric was with you?"

I saw something move overhead. "Another boy in the girls lavatory?" It was Myrtle, she was extra creepy, even for a ghost. "Wait till you see." and with that she disappeared down the toilet.

"What the hell was that?" I ask

Amy smiled as she returned from the shower, pajama top in hand "She likes to stalk me. Came to visit me in the shower this morning as a matter of fact."

I heard a loud moan come from one of the shower stalls, and Amy looked quickly at me. "Ok well did you get what you came in here for?" I questioned loudly and motioned for her to come over by me

She seemed to catch on and moved over to where I was standing "Yep that's it, we should head back, they'll be looking for us."

She walked over and pushed the tapestry back for effect, and then slowly walked back to me, so as not to make a sound.

This should be amusing if nothing else, let us see who has been getting it on in the shower. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind then I heard a familiar nasally voice ask, "Do you think they are gone?"

"Let's wait a few more minutes make sure they aren't still in the corridor." the male voice responded

I felt my heart sink into my stomach, I knew that voice, and when I looked at Amy I could tell she did to. She went to move for the shower stalls and I grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Pulling her out into the hallway.

She was on the verge of tears but I think anger was the most prevalent emotion on her face. "Let's go." I tried to pull her away but she wasn't moving.

"You want to go, go, but I want to have a word with my so called boyfriend."

I went to throw her over my shoulder. "Amy now is not the place."

"So help me god Wood, if you touch me it will be the last thing you do." she glared at me and I saw the anger flash through her eyes. I backed away, as she leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position.

"How would they have gotten in there?"

"Jem's a prefect." she stated eyes not leaving the tapestry

"So you think she gave it to her friend?" I ask, "Doesn't that mean she could get into a lot of trouble?"

She turned to look at me "I let you in there didn't I?"

"Yes but you are a prefect. Not the friend of."

She leaned her head back onto the wall. "Percy would have a field day with this. But no I have my own brand of justice for Jem."

I saw Alanis's head jut out from behind the tapestry. She saw us and quickly retreated, if it wasn't such a tense situation I would have thought she looked like a turtle, a fat turtle with a nose like a ski slope.

"You can come out I know who you are in there with." Amy said from her spot on the floor

She was completely calm, and I couldn't understand why. Alanis slowly emerged from behind the tapestry. "Your not going to get Jem in trouble are you?" she questioned

"If I were you, I would be worried more about yourself then Jem right now." Amy stated standing up, I quickly moved behind her to stop the fight that was bound to happen. "You have already broken at least, at least 20 school rules, that I can think of off the top of my head. So if I were you I would head directly back up to my common room, and not say a word of this to anyone."

Alanis scurried away, "By the way, tell Jem, if she doesn't want to be expelled she will take all of my rounds for the next umm, 3 months."

Alanis just nodded before running away.

"As for you Ryan, get out here right now." I saw him pulled the curtain back, and step out in front of us.

"Hey how's it going?" he asked, He was practically crawling in his own skin, he couldn't stand still, and he was the must amazing shade of red I've ever seen on a person.

"How's it going, you arrogant imbecile? How's it going, are you fucking demented?" she screamed at him "You are the most worthless piece of crap I have ever met in my entire life, do you realize that?" he opened his mouth to respond "Shut up you pompous ass, I can't believe I thought you were a nice person, you stupid, useless, dumbass. I have never been happier in my entire life that I didn't sleep with you."

Wait did she just say what I think she said, 'She didn't sleep with him?' hmm, interesting

"We are through, don't look at me, don't talk to me, and don't even acknowledge my existence." She turned to walk away I on the other hand couldn't move from my spot I was just dumbfounded by the whole conversation I had just witnessed.

She hit me in the arm to bring me back to reality; I started to walk away, as she spun around. "I hope you're happy, because I am the best thing that will ever have happened to you, and I would have been the best you ever had."

I was beaming inside, she was free of my obnoxious cousin, I would no longer have to put up with his meaningless shit that he said about her, and this was fabulous.

I glanced at Amy, who now had tears streaming down her face; she reached up and roughly wiped them away

I reached out to put my arm around her, and comfort her, but before I could touch her she moved out of my reach "Just don't" she looked at me

"Ok" was all I could muster

"Well I've had a wonderful day, I was spied on by a ghost, broke my ankle, embarrassed myself in front of your roommates, been embarrassed by my boyfriend, and ended up single again. All before noon." we had reached the entrance to the common room by the time she finished that sentence, I said the password

All eyes were on us, as we entered the room, Amy made her way through the maze of people, and left me standing in the middle of the room, I watched as she slowly made her way up the stairs and disappeared out of sight.

"Ouch" someone's hand had just collided with the back of my head "What was that for?" I asked

"What did you do?" I heard Emily demand

"I didn't do anything."

"Then why is my sister crying? Huh answer me that, what could have possibly happened that she would cry?" she asked glaring at me

I looked down at her petite frame "She's having some boy troubles?" I whispered quietly

Emily must not have taken the hint because she practically shouted "Boy troubles? What boy? I know nothing about said boy."

"Go find out for yourself," I said motioning towards the stairs that Amy had just ascended.

She moved towards the staircase, everyone still watching, yet pretending to be busy. "I blame you." she glared

"Emily be reasonable while you are talking to her."

She just huffed and made her way up the stairs. I was about to go up to my own dorm since I wasn't allowed in the girls where I should have been. When I heard another voice "Oliver Wood you get over here right now." said voice demanded

"What Megan?"

"March down to the Great Hall and find Teri immediately, and bring her back here, do you understand me?"

"Yes."

And so here I was walking down a deserted hallway, trying to piece together what I had done that was so wrong. Maybe it was because I was a member of the male species. My cousin has to be the biggest moron, how in the world could you possibly cheat on Amy with Alanis, that's just wrong. I shuddered at the thought. I couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her, let alone kiss her. I don't care how easy she gave it up.

I saw Ryan round the corner with 4 of his friends, I tried to duck into an empty classroom, but I had already been seen. "Oliver?" he asked

I tried to ignore him. "Oh so that is how it's going to be?" Jamie McClure, Katie Bell's boyfriend asked. "You're going to ignore your own cousin because he slept with your best friend and dumped her. What happened to the whole blood thing?"

"He didn't sleep with her." I said and I could feel the blood boiling in my veins. I clenched and unclenched my fists, and I could feel my teeth grinding.

Jamie laughed, and everyone but Ryan followed suit, Ryan kept his eyes set on the stone floor. "Did she tell you that?" Jamie asked through laughter.

I knew that if I laid a hand on Jamie there would be consequences, Ryan on the other hand was family, and he deserved it. So I did what any over hormonal 17-year-old boy would do. I grabbed my cousin and lifted him about half a meter off the ground holding him the shoulders. "You'd better set your friends straight, before I tell the whole school, that all those stories they hear about you, are a load of shit. And then when we go home, I'll tell Kevin, all the things you've been saying about his daughter. Your father would probably disown you rather then loose Kevin's friendship."

Jamie stared at me wide eyed. "You never slept with her?"

From his position on the wall Ryan muttered "No."

I let him down and shoved him back towards his friends, before pushing past them, when I heard him mutter something under his breath. "Keep it up Ryan, there's more where that came from." I said over my shoulder, as I continued down the hallway.

I made it to the great hall without any more interruptions. As I approached the Ravenclaw table I noticed that Teri was not there. But I noticed her friend Moira Blake sitting alone

"Hey Blake, can you point me in the direction of where Teri would be?"

She looked up from her homework, "Um, try by the lake. I think there where she said she was going."

"Thanks"

Off to the lake, this whole situation was messed up. The walk wasn't long but it was cold, and I was pissed, and my arms hurt from hanging Ryan midair.

I could see Teri sitting on the edge of the lake all by herself, propped up against the nearest tree. I looked around normally she was followed by about a half a dozen people, if not more.

"Anderson?" I yelled as I approached her.

She looked up and started gathering her stuff, I was now practically on top of her.

"I changed my mind, I don't like Anderson, Teri will be just fine." she laughed, I didn't "What's wrong."

"I was sent to come get you, you're needed in the Gryffindor tower, immediately." I extended my hand and helped her up.

"What did he do now?" she questioned "You know what I really don't care what he did, she needs to get rid of him, it's sad he treats her like dirt now, and she's taking it."

"Not anymore she's not." I said quietly, I didn't know how much I was supposed to tell her.

"You know?" she asked "She told you before me?"

I looked back at her and she had this hurt look on her face. "I was there when it happened."

It wasn't pretty, but Teri and I made our way back to the castle and convinced the fat lady to us both into the tower, of course with a little bit of prodding. Everyone once again was staring, I hated this. I plopped down on the stairs, as Teri ran up the stairs to Amy's dorm. And that's where I stayed for 3 hours.

The common room was empty people were out and about for the day, today was the first Hogsmede weekend, so most of the school had gone out, after noon.

"My ass hurts" I said out loud to no one in particular. I shifted in my spot, when I heard the door open upstairs and Megan, Teri, and Emily came slowly down the stairs. I stood up to greet them.

"She's very upset, but I think she's finished ranting." Teri said, Emily nodded, and dragged me over the couch.

Megan and Teri left the room, going where I'm not exactly sure. "I've never liked you, ya know that right."

"I was vaguely aware." I said laughing, knowing that she was half kidding

"But my sister does, she trusts you more then anyone else."

"Ok and?"

"She's lucky, that's all I wanted to say."

And then Emily did something strange. She hugged me, I wanted to feel her head and see if she was sick, I wanted her to tell me exactly what had just happened, I wanted her to know that if Amy had known she was into Ryan she wouldn't have dated him.

"I'll see you at dinner ok, I'm going to see if I can still make to for the outing."

"Good luck,"

I went back to my position on the stairs eventually she'd have to come out, and she may not want to talk to anyone but at least I'll hear her moving around.

I leaned my head up against the wall, and waited, and waited. I was looking over my play book which I had spread out on the floor at my feet, Madeline and her friend were sitting in front of the fireplace doing god knows what, but besides them I was the only person in the common room.

"I don't think that will work." Amy said as she leaned onto my shoulder and she sat down. "It would be better if you had Katie there, and one of the boys there," she continued pointing over my shoulder.

I could feel her breathing on my neck, and heard her sigh. "You ok?" I questioned

"I've been better, but I'll be fine."

I nodded, and she stared out the window. "What?"

"Take me somewhere."

"Where?"

"Anywhere, Take me flying."


	19. Chapter 19

He turned around and stared at me with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Take you where?"

"Take me flying."

"You hate flying." he pointed out "You don't feel safe doing it."

"I'd feel safe with you, but if you don't want to that's cool I'll go back to my room." I stood up to go back up the stairs and he reached up and grabbed my hand

"I'll get my broom."

I sat back down on the stairs where he had been sitting. I looked across the common room to where Madeline was sitting with Mia, bloody annoying that one was. Hated my guts for no other reason except that she could.

I heard him land with a thud next to me as he bounced down the last few stairs. "Ready?"

He offered his hand to me, which I graciously excepted, with the hand that was not clutching his broom, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in close to him.

"You're a pain in the ass."

"Oh but what would you do without me."

"Maybe have a day of peace," he said leading me by my shoulder out of the tower, down the stairs, which we had to wait to make a secure landing which happened to be closer to where we wanted to be then when we had started. Most of the time it worked in the opposite way."

"Your sure you want to test the pitch again." I ask poking him playfully

He turned to me "We have had enough excitement for one day haven't we."

"Why don't we be extra special lame and walk to Hogsmede?"

"Will you buy me something?"

"But of course good, sir."

"Well then let us be off, Ill just run and put this back he said starting up.

I grabbed his arm "Why don't you just send it there?"

He turned to face me "You can do that?"

I deadpanned him, "If you can summon, you can send. Dumbass."

He pulled out his wand "What's the spell?"

"I don't remember, but if I'm learning it now shouldn't you have learned it last year."

"You learn a lot of things that I never did."

"That's because you don't pay attention."

He stopped talking and turned to face me so fast, I flinched because I thought he was going to hit me. "No it's because you're a genius, and I'm just the joke."

I silently thought to myself 'When did this day become about you' but I let him flow

"You and Teri fit, your both brilliant, everyone loves you, or wants to be you, I'm just the tag along." He turned and started back towards the dorms.

"What the hell was that about?"

He just kept walking.

"Oliver Wood, you stop right now or I'll go to Hogsmede all by myself."

He didn't stop he didn't even acknowledge that I'd said anything.

I ran around in front of him grabbing him by the shoulders, and thankfully he stopped because I really didn't want to be pushed out of the way.

"You are not a tag along." He wouldn't meet my gaze "Your funny, and cute, and sweet, and dedicated, and over half the people in this school would kill to have one ounce of the talent that you do."

"I'm sorry" he said "I shouldn't have yelled, It's just…..never mind."

"It's just what?" I questioned

"It's just me being dumb"

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him close. "Your not dumb either."

I hadn't hugged him like this in years, and the feelings of his toned body against my frame, made me loosen my grip. It was a little to close for comfort.

"Do me a favor?" He questioned as he laid his head on top of mine.

"Huh?" he squeezed me tighter before releasing me

"Don't start dating him again."

I pulled back and looked into his eyes "I wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

"Come on I want candy," I broke into a run back up to the castle. With Oliver a few steps behind me.

"Oh no you don't" he said as he caught me by the waist lifting me off the ground and over his shoulder. I heard someone clear their throat.

"Mr. Wood, put her down this instant." I knew that voice it was Snape.

He brought me down gently, which I thought was unusual but I was thankful

"What on earth do you think you are doing, Mr. Wood."

The normally calm and collected wood, was now stammering, Snape would like nothing more then to take Wood out of the game next weekend.

"Well explain yourself, I know the two of you believe you are above the rules."

I was appalled, how dare he, "Actually sire, he was just helping me, I hurt my ankle very badly this morning." He raised his eyebrows

"You can ask Madam Pomfrey." Wood offered

"I will be making an inquiry." Snape looked over as walked away.

I started to giggle, "You stay here Amy, we wouldn't want to hurt you ankle" He said pushing my shoulder causing me to stumble backwards

"Jackass" I yelled after him

"The mouth on you"

"Sorry Sir Nicholas."

"It's unbecoming of such a beautiful girl."

"I'll remember that sir."

Oliver came flying down the hallway, figuratively not literally, grabbing my hand, and dragging me from the building.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked as he continued to pull me down the path.

"The hallway by the tower, was giving me the creeps."

I started laughing "It was probably one of the ghosts."

"Well whatever it was I feel better now that we are out of the building."

The walk to Hogsmede wasn't that far, especially if you knew the shortcuts, and the Weasley's were very good in that department.

We left the path and took the shortcut across the field "I hate taking this way" I said tripping over a stone and catching Wood's shoulder.

"Watch it" he said putting his arm out to stop me

"It was your idea to take the shortcut, not mine."

He laughed as I continued to stumble my way through the field next to him.

"Good thing you don't play, you'd be falling off your broom left and right."

"I'm lacking in the balance department, leave me alone."

The field ended and we could see the buildings of Hogsmede ahead of us, along with the bustling children.

"I want candy."

"You said that already."

"Well I really meant it"

Walking down the crowded street we weaved in and out of third years who were a little over excited.

Opening the door to Honeydukes, we practically turned around and walked back out. But Wood insisted that I buy what I wanted and insisted on paying for it all. Granted most of it was for him because that is normally how things went. I bought stuff Oliver ate it.

I followed Oliver as he pushed the door open, throwing a few every flavor beans into his mouth. As we walked out just in time to see Teri nail Ryan in the face with a spectacular right hook.

Oliver handed me all the bags and broke into a run for Teri. As Ryan got back up from the ground and continued running his mouth, although with the blood running down his face, he was very hard to understand.

"Keep talking, you STD ridden asshole."

Oliver had just reached them when Ryan advanced on Teri.

"I'm not afraid to punch you again," she threatened but it didn't stop him.

Oliver stepped in between them just in time to stop the flight that was about to start.

"My cousin everyone's protector. Can't get a girlfriend of his own, so he protects everyone else's. Hugh must be so proud."

"Don't you dare talk about him, he had more class in one finger then you have in your whole existence." Teri was pissed

I reached them just in time for Oliver to pull her away from it all. "Ryan go crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of." I sneered at him as I walked past.

"Leave it to Oliver to pick up all the pieces." Ryan shouted as we walked away.

"You just got your face broke by a girl." I said turning back to him "She made you bleed, asshole."

Jamie and Katie were now laughing so hard they could barely breath.

I on the other hand had to jog to catch up with Teri and Oliver, as I approached from behind I heard Teri ranting

"He's such a dumbass. Probably can't even tell the difference between his dick and the end of his broom."

I sat down on a boulder next to her "Sadly most of the girls he's with would probably wish for the broom."

Oliver snorted as he took the candy from me, offering Teri some concoction "How's your hand"

She held it revealing knuckles that looked like she'd punched a concrete wall.

"Let me see" I said taking her hand

"You don't have to fix me, I need the proof."

"Well fine be that way" I said throwing her hand back into her lap while sticking out my tongue.

"I thought that Hugh was coming in this weekend." Oliver questioned shoving come taffy into his mouth.

"He owled this morning and rescheduled for next weekend, so he could see the match" She said in a huff

"Aww poor baby" I said nudging her shoulder

"Can we do to Quidditch store now?" he asked standing up "Come on" He took our hands and pulled us both up

"Do we have to?" Teri whined

"Well you don't but she does." he replied pushing me in front of him

Teri met up with some of her Ravenclaw buddies as we moved up he path and split with them. I silently cursed her as I was dragged into the quidditch store. And after what seemed like years I was being led back towards the castle with all of his crap levitating, but I looked like I was carrying it, Just in case.

We stashed all of his new gear in the Gryfindor locker rooms and walked back to the school for dinner.

As we walked into the great hall, the twins immediately attacked me,

"We heard"

"What happened"

"And we would"

"Like to offer you"

"Anything"

"Anytime"

"Anywhere"

"I'll keep that in mine boys" I said pulling away from them and went to sit next to Megan and Mallory.

Meg put her hand on my shoulder. "Feeling better."

"Oliver always does the trick."

"Your lucky" Sam said from across the table

"What?" I said glaring at him

"He had a date today"

"Well then he should have gone I wasn't stopping him."

"Right."

"Stay out of it Sam." I warned, "This has nothing to do with you."

The rest of dinner was spent in uncomfortable silence. I really wanted to slap Sam, who the hell did he think he was. Honestly me relationship with Wood was none of his business, and if Wood had a date he would have gone right?

I was broken out of my thoughts by a hand in the middle of my back. I looked up to see Oliver standing behind me.

I moved over so that he could sit down next to me, "I think I ate to much candy" he put his head down on the table and moaned

"Aww would it be mean to say I told you so?"

"Yes" he said into the table

I rubbed between his shoulder blades trying to make him feel better.

"Come on you can use the fun bathroom."

"You're the best," he said as he got up and slowly followed out

I pushed the curtain back and led him in, "I don't feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Good then don't" I walked over and wet a towel and held it up to his face as he laid down on the cold floor. We sat on the floor in silence for a while before Teri came running into the room.

"What's wrong?" I asked standing

She was breathing heavy "You need to get up to the tower."

"What? Why?"

"The fat lady, she's been destroyed"

"How?"

She ran out of the room before she answered. Oliver and I were up and running after her in a matter of seconds.

We arrived at the stairs just as Dumbledore told the staff the search the castle for Sirius Black.

"Percy, Amy, escort the students down the Great Hall."

He turned to Teri, "Go find the other prefects in your house and wait in your common room.

"Yes sir"

Down in the Great Hall, the tables were removed and sleeping bags covered the floor all matching the house colors, I guess that means the other students will be joining us.

McGonagal stood at the head of the room "Take your places according to houses, Prefects may I have a word."

We all walked forward to where she was standing. "It is imperative that while we search the castle, that NO ONE leave this room."

Everyone around me nodded.

"Go join your houses."

Walking back over to the group I took my spot between Oliver and Megan. As I sent Teri an apologetic look because she was close to Ryan. Maybe she would smother him in his sleep that would be an interesting story.

"I really don't feel good." He was now lying on the stone floor, shivering because he was so cold.

"Get into your sleeping back, you'll feel better in the morning" I said more commanding than anything else. And surprising he did as he was told and climbed into his makeshift bed.

I laid down staring at the enchanted ceiling waiting to hear any news. When I felt someone come and lay down next to me. Megan made a noise but eventually moved.

I tilted my head to see my baby sister was lying so close to me, we were practically touching.

She was scared although she would never admit it. She used to do this when we were little. When she didn't want my parents to know she'd had another nightmare.

I continued to stare at the ceiling until Dumbledore along with the rest of the staff had secured the Great Hall against entry. Before drifting off the sleep myself.


	20. Chapter 20

We were woken up spectacularly early the next morning and told that we could all go back to our towers.

"Breakfast will be ready at six am" I heard someone say as I ran back to the tower dodging people left and right. I needed to make it back before the rest of my team.

"Once they go to bed, I won't be able to get the girls to wake up" I said out loud causing a few fourth years to turn and stare.

Percy was standing by the new portrait, giving everyone the new password. "Potter's already in there, but no one else has made it back yet."

"Thanks Percy" I replied as I pushed my way into the room

I scanned the room. Potter was in the corner working on something. "Potter get your gear, and be back down here in ten minutes." He looked up and nodded moving away from his friends.

I looked over the room again and caught Mia's eye, who winked at me and then motioned to Zim, who was the color of the couch

'Weird' I thought

As I stood there waiting for the rest of my team to join me, I was violently shoved causing me to stumble and catch myself on the table. I turned to see Amy walk past me.

"Cute" I said reaching for her; she dodged out of the way. "Come down and watch?"

"Hold your breath, Wood," she said climbing the stairs to the girls side.

My girls walked in and tried to beeline it for the stairs.

"Hold it" The stopped in their tracks. "Johnson, Bell, Spinnett. Ten minutes, and back down here, or you'll be running laps instead of flying them." I heard them grumble as they climbed the stairs to change into their practice gear.

The twins came in next, looking like they hadn't slept at all, I wonder what they were up to. Actually scratch that I don't want to know, the less I know about their extra curricular activities the better.

"Ten minutes, I'm not kidding," I shouted as they bounded up the stairs. I ran and pulled on my own gear and met the rest of my team looking very unhappy with me. "Guys lay off alright our winning depends on redoing our strategy, this is not my fault."

"Hufflepuff is a pushover, anyone can beat them Wood" Fred spoke up

"Don't count them out Fred" I said as we started down to the pitch "Diggory has done a lot of things with the team this year"

The pitch had been booked all week for us, even after Diggory had bitched. We still won. McGonagal had stressed our point until they gave up. So we practiced in the morning before breakfast, and in the evening after dinner. Diggory has to work around when we were there.

The rest of the week was pretty similar to Sunday. Up and at the pitch by 5, breakfast at 7, class from 8-3, Library 3-5, dinner 6 back to the pitch by 7 beds by 10, and the routine started again the next day.

The Friday before the game I was rudely awakened, by my dear friend Amy who was dripping on my face.

"You do realize it's 5:30 yes?" she questioned

"I gave them the day off the rest. Now go away" I said swatting at her with the pillow

"Ok I just wanted to make sure you were aware" She walked to the doorway "Ya know make sure you were still breathing"

"Out" I demanded throwing a book at her receding form. Which came flying back at an unusual speed slamming into the wall, with a loud bang, scattering plays all over the floor.

"You'll pay for that," I said out loud to no one, as I knew she couldn't hear me. I grabbed my wand off the table next to the bed and moved everything back into its proper place.

I lay back on the bed and came to realize just how off it was for her to be out of bed this early. I dragged my lazy; no make that sleepy ass out of bed. Grabbing my uniform and other clothes necessary for the day

"Where are you going? I thought you had the morning off" Ben asked his head barely leaving the pillow.

"I need a shower, and then to finish some homework before class" I responded

"You need to get laid, that's what you need"

"If you say so" I exited the room and walked down the cold stone floor. I stopped and summed my shoes, sitting down on the couch with all of my crap before pulling them on.

Hearing the portrait swing open, I looked up to see Mia and Zim enter the room.

"Well they've been there every morning this week. How was I supposed to know they wouldn't be there today" Catching site of me on the couch they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Zim" I nodded. Turning to the one who had been speaking "I gave them the morning off" picking my thing up off the floor "We won't be there tonight either, so don't try to sneak down then either." I walked past them and out into the corridor.

I really didn't like, Mia. She talked a lot of trash about a lot of people. A lot of people she didn't even know. If I didn't know Zim I would hate her by association. She was a nice girl, I didn't understand the lack of friends.

I showered quickly and changed into my uniform and robes. Quickly making my way back into the tower. I dropped myself at the foot of my bed. I really needed to get down to the library.

I checked my watch as I made my way back to the common room Zim was still there but the fat one disappeared.

"Hey" her head shot up "Are you going to the match tomorrow?"

Mia came back into the room "Why would she do that?"

I ignored her "Well if you want to and since she" motioning to Mia "obviously doesn't want to, you can sit with Amy and Megan"

She smiled "Yea, that would be nice"

"I don't know if you know the rules and stuff, but those two can keep you informed.

Her smile got bigger while Mia was fuming "Thanks"

"The guys will be there also" I paused "Amy will keep them away, don't worry"

"Ok, what time?" she asked

"I'll have Am, stop and give you the details."

"Thanks" she said again as I left the room

Well I did my good deed for the day. At least she'd have some fun tomorrow instead of hanging out with walking depressant. The halls were deserted as I walked to the library carrying my books. I didn't even see any of the ghosts.

Madam Pince looked u from her desk when I entered. I could see Amy seated in an overstuffed chair reading. As I walked towards her she took a done which had been sitting in her lap and snapped it in half, making a disgusting noise. Placing one hand on either side, I saw a slight glow between her palms and she held the bone in one piece.

"Nice" I said sitting in the chair next to her.

"Thanks"

"So this is where you've been every morning"

"Well I can't do this anywhere else." She looked towards Madam Pince "She's not supposed to let anyone in here."

"Yea well" I pulled out my Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and began to review fro my quiz today.

"So are you impressed?"

"Of course" I responded my eyes not leaving the page

"Why are you up?"

"Someone woke me up remember"

She finished writing her notes and looked up "I figured you would go back to sleep."

"Oh before I forget, Madeline Zim, you know her right?"

"Sort of"

"Take her to the match tomorrow, I kind of already told her you would." Trailing off.

"And why would you do that?"

"Don't be a snob Amy," I said turning to face her as she brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"I don't even know the girl that does not make me snob"

"Just do me this favor ok?"

She paused looking at me "Fine, whatever, but I'm not playing nice with Mia."

"She wasn't part of the equation."

"Good because she's a bitch."

"She's also stalking someone on my team."

"Probably you."

"Oh god help me."

"I think this is even out of gods hands."

After a few minutes of silence, and a few more disgusting breaks of that bone.

"I'm hungry, care to join me?"

"Yea sure, I think I've got this down well enough to demonstrate."

"Demonstrate for who?"

"Someone from the ministry" she replied before throwing her bag over her head.

"Mediwitch?"

"No someone from the Auror department." she said shrugging

"You're going to be an unspeakable." I stated

"Who said that?"

"Again with the question with a question?"

"Enough with the English lesson." She shifted her bag "Now who said that?"

"No one, but they are scouting you before you've graduated, before you've even entered the program." I replied shrugging

"They did the same thing with Tonks, and she's just entered the Auror program." she pointed out.

We reached the great hall moving to the Gryfindor table. " How do you know that?"

"Dumbledore told me?"

"I see, why?" I ask piling food onto my plate

She reached for a pancake "Something to tell me so that I wasn't super nervous." pouring syrup over the pancakes "You think I could be an unspeakable?"

"Isn't that something you have to volunteer for?" I asked her

She shrugged "No one really knows."

"I see. Well your smart enough to do whatever you want to." I pointed out, "But I would imagine that your away from your families for a long time, so I don't know if you'd like that?"

"Yea and I wouldn't think they have very long life expectancies"

I looked up and caught her eye "You've thought about this?"

"Yea I figured I would know all my options."

"Yea"

"Don't be mad, it's just an option it doesn't mean that's what I'm going to do."

"Don't be mad, no one knows exactly what these people do and your actually considering giving up your life for them."

"Now this is why I didn't tell you."

"How long have you known about this, this meeting" I stuttered

"A few weeks, and it's just with someone from the Auror department. It was this or St Mungo's, and no thank you." she said stuffing her face.

"Why would that be so bad? Isn't that what Teri is going to do."

"Teri had wanted to be a healer her whole life. Even when we were little she would talk about being a doctor."

"See a good respected profession."

"Oh says the future quidditch star"

"Exactly, you could take care of me"

"Oh joy, how exciting for me, waiting around for you to fall out of the sky."

She was really pissing me off at the moment, why wouldn't she be reasonable. I was just looking out for her; I couldn't imagine anything bad happening to her.

"Your parents are not going to be happy with this decision." I pointed out

"Actually, my father was thrilled that they were interested in me. My mom was hoping that I would work in her store for the rest of my life" Her mother ran a little clothing boutique "But even she was happy that I was getting the chance to do something that I wanted to."

"Oh" I said for lack of anything else.

"Yea Oh"

"God you two fight like your married" Brett said sitting down

All of my roommates had now joined us. Amy glanced up and shot Sam an if looks could kill glare. 'What is with those two.' I thought

"Well I'm going to go, somewhere where there is less animosity towards me" she said getting up from the table.

"What did you guys do?" I asked turning towards them as she exited the great hall

Sam spoke up "I just pointed out that she shouldn't lead you on"

"You what? How is that any of your business"

Angelina went to sit down and promptly moved.

Ben got involved "You broke your date to go with her to Hogsmede."

"Firstly, I said no to the date, second none of you have a clue so shut the hell up."

God this day was going well, I got up and left the Great Hall. Heading to my first class, even potions would be better then saying something I was going to regret in an hour or two.

They were the best blokes a guy could ask to be stuck with. But there are parts of my life, that I would like them to stay out of, Amy being the most important, my love life shortly behind.

I took my seat, and waited for the rest of the class to file in. Zim being the first in, she sat down next to me. I didn't look up when she took out her book and set up her cauldron. Getting the list out for today.

"Thanks for this morning" she said quietly

"What?" I asked turning to her

"For the invite, to sit with Amy" she elaborated

"Oh yea that, no problem"

"I didn't mean to bother you" she continued

"No, no, it's not you, it's my idiot roommates."

"Have you ever had people get so involved in your life, that you want to hurt them" I say wringing my hands

She smiled at me "Have you met Mia?"

I laughed; She was kind of funny, and cute.

We spent the rest of the class making conversation, over our potion, and continued the conversation on the way the Great Hall.

I walked over to where Amy was sitting and motioned for Zim to sit down.

Amy gave me a strange look before going back to her conversation with Katie. They were talking about idiot boys, this was starting to hurt my feelings, and not all of us were bad. When Katie got up to for to her next class. Amy turned her attention to Zim and I.


	21. Chapter 21

"So Madeline, you're going to be joining us tomorrow" I said looking her over, when did she and Wood get so close. 'Wait what the hell do I care.'

She looked at me sheepishly "Only if it's no bother."

"No it's cool, Just making sure" I replied smiling. 'Maybe this girl will be good for him' I thought 'She's nice enough, and she's not sluttish. I'll have to play nice for awhile' "What's your next class?" I ask trying to make conversation.

She looked from Wood to me "History of Magic"

"Same as me" he added

"What about you?" she asked

I made a face "Muggle Studies, we present that stupid project today. If I don't get my eyes clawed out it will be a miracle."

"That bad huh?" Oliver asked

"Well apparently I am a horrible human being, that everyone should hate."

"That's horrible" Madeline responded

"Yea well, Ryan is Mr. Perfect."

"Yea well I don't see it" she replied clamping her hand to her mouth

I started to laugh, " I like you"

She seemed to relax, when I said that.

"Well I need to face the firing squad" I got up and threw the strap of my bag over my head.

"Dinner tonight" Oliver asked

"Of Course" I left the two of them sitting at the Gryfindor table and began my long walk to Muggle Studies. As I entered the room I went directly to my assigned seat, my group was actually residing on the other side of the classroom, but the less time I spent with them the better.

Pulling out my notes for the assignment and carefully rereading them, I needed all the points I could on this one. It was by far the worst project that had ever been done or at least one that I had done.

Genevive sat down next to me. "If we pass this project it will be a miracle."

I laughed, "You don't think, Ryan was the right person to rely on?"

"Not hardly, but apparently the rest of the group did.

"Well at least our individual grades should be good. Even if the group grade isn't"

She smiled at me "I just wanted to apologize for my so called friends" she motioned towards their table "They were just a little jealous"

"And now they are not?" I asked

She shrugged "Well I guess they would have rather seen him with you, then with Alanis."

I dropped the quill that I had been twirling. "Alanis?"

"Yea didn't you see them at breakfast?"

I looked across the room to where Ryan had just taken his seat and he shot me a smug smile. 'Oh how I would love to clock him' "No thankfully I missed that, I probably would have lost my appetite"

She laughed, " Well everyone else did."

"Nah Sam was pissing me off, so I left early. Figured I would cut out before I said something I didn't mean."

"Sam's a really nice guy." she stated

"Sam's a really nosy guy." I responded without thinking

"Oh well I only know him from around the common room" she replied shrugging

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm projecting. He is very nice, He's an amazing footballer." I said apologetically

"Aren't you a pureblood?"

I looked back down at my notes "Well yes, but some of my friends aren't. And my sister, the little stalker, wanted to go, so we went."

"Your sister scares me."

I laughed, "Emily scares a lot of people."

Professor Martingale entered the room "Take your seats with your groups please." Everyone did as they were told, Ryan draping his arm over the back of my chair.

"Don't touch me." I said pulling out of his reach

"Class we have five groups I need one person from each group to come pick the number for the order we will be presenting in" She looked around the room. "Ryan why don't you go first?"

"Of course Professor" he replied ruffling my hair as he pushed past, I pulled forward running me have threw to smooth it back out.

He turned and winked; this was physically turning my stomach. I heard one of the girls hold her breath as he put his hand into the bucket, and pulled out the number 3. The other girls made a noise "That's means that we will be going today instead of next class."

I looked up hopefully "Maybe the other groups will run long?"

"With you in our group she will make sure that we go today" Miranda responded. She smiled at me through so I think all that time in the library must have made a difference. They had all seemed a little nicer then they had been.

"Well at least we are not first" he said sitting down pulled my chair back over to him.

"Ryan touch me again and see what happens to your hand"

He smirked "That's not what you were saying last night"

"I'm sorry, but you must be confusing me with someone a lot fatter, and a hell of a lot uglier."

"Playing in the shallow end of the kiddy pool again are we?"

"Bugger off"

After sitting through one of the most boring presentation on muggle sports that I had ever heard, the second group was about half way through an interesting, and entertaining presentation on muggle entertainment.

The curtain to the classroom was pushed open, and Headmaster Dumbledore stepped in accompanied by Professor McGonagal

"Excuse me Professor, but we have to take Ms. Snow, for the rest of the day." McGonagal said

She looked up from her desk. "I'm sorry but she has a presentation, they are up next and I will not excuse her from it."

Dumbledore cleared his throat "Well it's not your choice anymore Lisa. She has an appointment with someone, it is out of our hands"

I sat completely still in my chair, any sudden movement and she would attack.

"Fine you may take her" she shooed me away with her hand "But you will come in later and present to me."

Dumbledore again cleared his throat, he most not have liked her tone "That will not be necessary, someone else can surely present her material" I walked up to them oddly reminded on the scene in star wars were Obi Wan tells the storm troopers 'These are not the droids your looking for' "Mr. Wood perhaps"

Ryan just stared at the floor and nodded, "It's not as if he did anything else" I whispered as we left the room.

"I thought as much" McGonagal said as we walked down the corridor to her office.

"So with whom am I meeting?" I ask shifting my bag, slightly nervous

"His name is Abiezer Traherne."

"And he would be?"

"The Recruitment Advisor for Aurors"

"I see and will you be in there with me"

"Of course, as long as I'm wanted" She replied

McGongals office showed just how long she had been teaching here, and just how important she was to the school. Her office was the size of Dumbledore's but more octagon shaped then circle. Built in bookcases lined the walls some of them practically overflowing with books. Her desk was in the center of the room, and was half moon shaped. On the wall behind her were pictures of the Quidditch team, from when she became head of the house until now, some were action shots others were the team photos. On a small table in the corner were stacked at least a hundred rolls of parchment, waiting to be graded. The color scheme was very similar to our common room.

But what I was most interested in when I entered the room that sunny afternoon, was a man in his late thirties early forties seated at the half moon desk. He was approximately 6 feet tall (2 meters), average build, with dark blonde hair, and big eyes, which at the moment were one brown and one blue. Not bad for an old guy I thought as I set down my bag.

"Oh you must be Ms. Snow." he looked down at his paper "Miss Amy Snow?"

"Yes sir," I replied offering him my hand.

"I am Abeizer Traherne," He replied shaking my hand.

He motioned for me to sit down as McGonagal excused herself to her second room.

"I'm assuming your Kevin's daughter" I nodded "He has two children, both girls, if I'm not mistaken"

"Yes sir, that's correct." I nodded

"From what I remember of your fathers professional days he was pretty wild" he paused "As anyone would be in his position, I just hope your not as wild, it's not good for keeping a low profile."

I smiled "I don't think I could ever live up to my fathers reputation."

"So you've heard those stories?"

He sat down across from me. "Heard about them, my mother saved all the newspaper articles"

"Well it's good black mail"

"He can never get on my case about anything"

"Well Amy, down to the matter at hand. You were hand selected for this interview by a very secret panel of people. The qualities you have as well as your natural abilities make you an excellent candidate for our Auror program when you graduate."

McGonagal smiled from her spot at the desk, where she had just rejoined us.

"So this was a done deal before I stepped into the room." I ask leaning back into my chair

Mr Traherne looked shocked. "Well no, there will of course be placement tests, and a few psychological exams before we can officially let you in." He smiled "that and you must keep your grades up and graduate as expected at the top of your class"

"But other than that?"

"Other then that if you want it it's yours."

I stood up from my chair "Great when do I report for these things"

"You'll receive owls, I thought you would like to know that you come highly recommended." he said standing an extending his hand for me to shake "It was a pleasure to meet you, I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it as well." I said returning the handshake

I turned to McGonagal "You've been excused from the rest of your classes" I must have had a shocked look on my face. "We thought the interview would take longer, so we had you excused for the rest of the day. Head back to your tower."

"Thank you Professor" I practically skipped all the way to the tower. Everything was laying out in front of me perfectly, without much added effort. I was not going to have to heal people just because I was given that gift.

Sir Cadogen was having a duel with one of the other paintings as I approached. "On guard" He said before he spotted me "Ah fair maiden, alas I did not know it was someone so fair approaching."

"All is forgiven" I replied, "I would have kicked your tin ass anyway."

The portrait stopped moving and stared at me.

"Fiddlebox" the painting didn't move "Um open now"

"Oh yes" it swung open

I caught site of Brett and Sam by the window "Shouldn't you be in class?"

Sam turned "cancelled"

"Wood here?" I put my bag down "Or is he out with Madeline?"

"Jealous?" Brett asked

"Shut up"

"That's a yes" Sam replied

"I'm not jealous, more curious," I said sitting down

"It's ok not to like it Amy" Sam continued

"Really, you seemed to think differently last week" I replied

"Well his taste has gone down considerably since then" he said

"Why who was he going out with last week?" I ask pulling my book out

Sam met my eye "He didn't tell you?"

"I didn't ask" I shrugged

"Ariadne"

"Ariadne Mitchell?" I ask looking up from the book. They both nodded "Ariadne Mitchell? Slytherin Ariadne Mitchell?"

"That would be the one." Brett answered

I stood up. "Oh hell no" Ariadne was pretty, chocolate brown hair, about my height, and one of the meanest people I knew. She was also only a third year and lusted after by none other than one Draco Malfoy.

"He's upstairs"

I left all my books scattered around and took off up the stairs taking them two by two until I reached the landing.

"Oliver?" I shouted before shoving the door open.

He was asleep or had been before I entered. Percy on the other hand was sitting at his desk "Hey Weasley, can I have moment with Wood, please."

He looked from me to Wood shooting Oliver an 'I'm sorry' look he got up from his desk and went I'm assuming downstairs.

"Ariadne?"

He sat up and I saw anger flash in his eyes. "Don't start."

"Ariadne?" I asked again

"Yes Amy, Ariadne."

"Why?"

"Because she asked and before I had time to think it out, she had started giving me the details."

"Ariadne"

"Would you stop it with that?" He got up off the bed and pulled his jumper over his head. "It was just a casual thing."

"Casual sex thing you mean?"

"No but if it led to that I wasn't going to stop her."

"She's only a third year"

He looked at me "I didn't go so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you were planning on going," I paused "Better yet that you weren't even going to tell me."


	22. An Update?

I'm writing this to the maybe 10 of you who actually read this. I'm not finished with the story, unless you want me to be. You see here's the problem, while cleaning my room, I seem to have misplaced a rather large and important chunk of what I was writing.

I vaguely remember what was written and if you would still like me to I'd be more then willing, I guess, to try and redo it.

Although it has been awhile since an update and I do apologize for that, but I work 40 hours a week, and when I'm not working I'm probably sleeping. But for you all I will try. I miss doing this.

Soo, let me know ok.

Amy


	23. Chapter 22

_**Sorry I'm reposting the same chapter because for some reason, the program left off the last few sentences. And that bothered me. There is another one coming soon. I promise.**_

**__**

From my spot on the end of the bed I could see the hurt in her face. " I was going to tell you. But then all that shit happened and I'm glad I didn't go" she was still pacing at the end of the bed

"I didn't mean to wake you up, go back to sleep." she said moving towards the door.

I leaped from the bed and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her back toward me. I spun her around so that she was facing me, " You don't honestly think that I would risk loosing you over her do you?"

She wouldn't look at me "She's mean"

"I know," I said rubbing my hand over her back where I could feel every bump on her spine. "Did you eat today?"

"Of course I did." she replied jerking away from me "Why would you ask that?"

"It's just your really thin."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"When you get to thin then yes."

"And you think I'm to thin?"

"You're getting pretty close to dangerous, yea."

"Ok I'm done with you, go back to bed." She stated as she stormed out of the room without a second glance back at me.

Explain to me how it is possible to screw things up with her every time we speak. It seemed that every conversation I had with her lately ended in an argument. Both of us were extremely hard headed which caused many problems when we fought.

I fell back onto the bed, it was my ritual to sleep the day away, that way I didn't get to crazy, it was a rule I believe Teri had instated soon after I made the team, apparently I annoyed her. We had a fairly good shot at winning even if I had to change strategies mid training. And it was supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I wonder how much of the school will actually show up for the match. If it were me, well honestly I'd still be there because well quidditch is my thing, But all those poor souls who just go out for something to do, There is no way I would sit in the cold icy rain.

I felt myself starting to drift off, that's how good my lectures were I even put myself to sleep. Maybe a little nap would do me good.

The next thing I knew I felt a familiar form climb into bed with me.

"I thought you were mat at me?" I asked moving over.

"I am" she said hugging her pillow "But it's raining, it's been raining for two hours."

"And you held out that long."

"Yes, well I was making a point." she shivered next to me. "You slept through dinner, I brought some up for you over there" she pointed to the window seat.

"What time is it?"

"Ten-thirty" she said with a yawn.

I got out of bed and pick up the food off the tray. "What is it?"

"Turkey, I made you a sandwich because I didn't know when I would be waking you up. And cold mashed potatoes are gross."

"Yes they are."

"I'm way to good to you," she said yawning into her pillow once more.

"Yes you are." I agreed, "Where are my roommates?"

She was almost asleep her eyes just a sliver open "In the common room, talking to Zim"

"Zim?" they don't even know her

"Yes well they are getting to I suppose."

"Goodnight Amy."

"MMM HMM" was the only audible response

She doesn't like thunderstorms in case you couldn't tell. Petrified of them actually, has been for as long as I've known her. Which is completely out of character, because she's fearless in most situations. She'd kill me for telling people this but she slept in her parents bed until she was eleven. And that's only because she came here.

Once she started here I would notice that she was very pale and exhausted looking the mornings after storms. And during one said storm I traveled down into the common room to find her doing homework in front of the fire at three-thirty am, while the storm raged outside. She was white as a ghost and visibly trembling the whole time.

So I sat on the couch with her and talked for hours. If it wasn't for this place, I'm almost certain that we would have drifted in different directions. We didn't exactly have the same interests or the same friends. But I loved her dearly and would do anything for her, and the scary thing is she knew it. It was very apparent that she was way out of my league, always had been, and her sister took great pride in pointing that out to me every chance she got.

My first year at Hogwarts, I did not have much of a social life. It was my roommates and I most of the time; we went to matches together, ate together, and "studied" together. At that point Percy had been fun to be around mostly because Charlie and Bill were still here and Charlie and I bonded. It wasn't until second year when I made the house team that I started to develop a social life. I still don't know, which had more to do with it, Quidditch or Amy. She was one of those people who made friends easily and often, so when she got here I was kind of along for the ride. Along with her came Teri another person who made friends easily and often, so I was set with them around.

The lighting flashed outside and I saw Amy jolt in the bed. I had never figured out this unnatural fear of storms, it was just completely out of character for her to be this afraid of something.

I turned my attention away from the window and caught a pair of huge hazel eyes staring at me. "I thought you were asleep"

"Nope" she replied pulling her knees to her chest "Whatcha thinking?"

"Umm about how much the match is going to suck tomorrow."

"You'll be great"

I stood up and stretched "I know I'll be great but what about everyone else" I said receiving a pillow to the face "Not nice"

"You have the best team in Hogwarts history why are you worried?"

"I'm worried because no one else seems to be. Everyone just expects us to win everything now that we have Potter." I plopped down on my trunk at the end of the bed.

"Way to feel sorry for yourself. Your house has confidence in you because your good at what you do. They know that someday they will be telling everyone how they went to school with the very famous Oliver Wood" she bounced on her knees "Keeper extraordinaire"

"Thanks Am."

"Not a problem, I'm going to bed."

"In your own room?"

"Emily and I are camping in the common room." she stopped at the door "You can join us if you like."

"Emily to eh?"

"Yes but don't tell anyone she' very sensitive."

Needless to say I spent the night in my own bed sleeping on couches was bad for my posture."

I woke up at seven am and felt refreshed. I think Amy bewitched my sandwich; maybe she had done the same for herself. I was actually feeling really good until I looked out the window and noticed the storm had gotten considerably worse since last night. No use showering, I'll be filthy in minutes.

I grabbed my broom from the cupboard and made my way into the common room, where the twins were sitting annoying Amy, who was already fully dressed, Emily though had long since disappeared.

"Breakfast team" I grunted "You to" I nodded at her"

The walk to great hall was one made in silence, everyone was nervous you could feel it in the air. Harry was already in the hall and had finished a rather large bowl of porridge when we sat down. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina joined us a few moments later.

They smiled weakly as they took their seats. "It's going to be a tough one" I said playing with my food I wasn't particularly hungry.

"Stop worrying Oliver" said Alicia from across the table "we don't mind a bit of rain"

That was the understatement of the century. The walk down to the pitch was intense. The whole school turned out to watch, all running down to the pitch umbrellas being blown out of their hands.

We entered the locker rooms leaving puddles as we went and changed into our robes. The team's attention turned toward me waiting for my usual pre-game pep talk. But nothing that was in my head seemed good enough to emerge from my mouth.

I looked around the room to everyone's faces, opened my mouth to speak, and closed it again. A strange gulping sound came from somewhere deep inside my throat. Shaking my head I turned towards the door and nodded, everyone followed.

As we made our way on to the filed you could not see more than a few in front of you, the only thing making the Hufflepuffs visible was the obnoxious canary yellow robes. Walking to the center of the field Diggory extended his hand, which I took as was accustomed, he smiled but my face had lost that ability. SO I just nodded at him, and the smile disappeared from his face.

Madam Hooch nodded at us "Mount your brooms" and with a shrill blast from her whistle we were off. I flew as fast as the rain would allow me to, too the hoops my broom nearly ripped from hands in the process.

I couldn't see the other end of the field, but I could see the score, and had never been more proud of my girls then when I saw that first 10 show up on the scoreboard. When the second and third showed up in rapid succession, I felt myself begin to relax, which was a huge mistake as I felt a Quaffle skin my face and fly threw the hoops. 'Thirty to Ten ok girls do your thing make me proud' I was soaked to the skin, wetter then I had ever been in my entire life, my hands so cold I could barely feel them. I did however manage to have a few spectacular saves, or course no one could see them through the rain.

With the first flash of lightening I motioned to Madam Hooch for a time out. I heard her whistle blow and made my way to the ground. As I landed I turned and gestured, Harry to the ground. My whole team landed with a squelch into the mud.

"I called for a time out" I said to the team "Come on under here"

We huddled under a large umbrella. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them on his robes "What's the score?" He asked

"We're fifty points up" I replied "But if we don't get the snitch soon; we'll be playing all night"

"I've no chance with these on" Harry replied waving his glasses at me

Just as he finished his sentence Hermione appeared at his shoulder, "I've an idea Harry! Give me your glasses, quick"

He handed them over, as the team watched with mouths open.

Hermione tapped them with her wand "Impervious"

"There" she said handing them back to Harry "They'll repel water"

I could have kissed her right on the spot; she turned and disappeared into the crowd "Okay team, lets go for it"

I flew back to my posts, maybe now we can get this over with. I was frozen solid; I just wanted to sit in front of the fire and thaw, or maybe a nice long shower. There was a huge clap of thunder followed by forked lightening, this was getting dangerous, 'Come on Harry' I want this to end before someone gets hurt

I saw Harry pause, and then fall a few feet before catching himself, and then I caught sight of Cedric pelting up the field after something small and gold.

"Harry" I yelled "Harry behind you" and he was off. He chased Cedric up the field

Then I saw something, that made my skin crawl. At least a hundred dementors with their faces pointed up had entered the stadium.

And then this gut wrenching realization, Harry was falling hard, from a very high place. I saw the rest of my team make a move for him, as Dumbledore stood up and uttered a spell, which made Harry slow down considerably before colliding with the ground. The wind caught his broom and threw it into the whomping willow. I shuddered, and then heard something that nearly broke my heart.

Over all the commotion I heard Lee scream, "Diggory has the snitch"

Diggory landed just as I did running across the field towards Madam Hooch.

"I didn't realize" He started panting "He fell we will have a replay"

Madam Hooch looked from me to him.

I extended my hand "You won fair"

Diggory looked as if he swallowed his tongue. "Really Wood we wouldn't mind."

"You caught it, we didn't" I moved out of the way as they loaded Harry onto the stretcher, Ron, Hermione, along with Emily ran onto the field. Looking as if they had just stepped out of a swimming pool."

I shook Cedrics hand before walking over to make sure Harry was breathing. He seemed to just be knocked out.

I clapped my hand on to Fred's shoulder "I'm going to hit the showers, I'll meet you up in the Hospital wing."

I walked into the locker room, and threw my pads at the wall before grabbing my shower stuff and let the steam fill the locker room, before letting the water pelt onto my back.

"All that work for nothing" I said out loud to an empty locker room.


	24. Chapter 23

The whole stadium was eerily quiet when Harry hit the ground, that moment not a single person moved. And then all hell broke loose, Hermione and Ron, followed closely by my sister ran onto the field, and then everyone started to panic.

The dementors had been charged away by Dumbledore, and everyone was in a slight state of shock. Had Gryfindor really just been beaten by Hufflepuff. I didn't think that was possible. Sam and Ben sat to my left with their jaws practically touching the ground. Percy who was in front of me turned around with a look of disbelief, Teri nudged me in the shoulder to snap me out of it.

"Well that was something" Hugh said trying to break the silence

"Yea" is all I could muster

Madeline from the spot next to me asked, "Do you think he's alright?"

"They'll take him to the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey will take good care of him, I'm sure he'll be ok" I said trying to comfort myself more then her.

But when I turned to face her she had turned an odd shade of red "Oh you weren't talking about Harry, you were talking about Oliver." She stared at the ground.

And that's when it happened; I lived up to every bitchy girl stereotype I'd been fighting against for years. "Are you kidding me?" I asked her "You don't even know him, and newsflash Zim you never will. There is someone lying in the hospital wing hurt and all you can think about is poor Oliver he lost a bloody game."

Teri stood up behind me "Come on Amy, lets go before you say something you don't mean."

"I'm not being irrational Teri," I knew what she was doing, trying to flip my rage onto her so that Zim could escape. It wasn't going to work. "I have sat by and watched him work his way through half the girls in this school. What makes you think he cares more about you then he did about any of them" She looked like she was about to cry, and I was starting to feel like and ass.

"Look Madeline, I don't know what kind of twisted game he is playing with you but walk away before you get hurt. You aren't going to just be friends, that's my job, and I'm not going anywhere." I stood up and moved over to the end of the aisle "I'm sorry but it had to be said, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see how Harry is doing."

I bounded down the stairs two by two which was dangerous considering the weather. I could hear Teri behind me "Amy slow down." she said catching me by the arm "Do you really think that was necessary?"

"Yes I do."

"Why?" we were walking along the grounds sopping wet because Hugh had the umbrella

"Because she can't have my life without a fight."

"What?" Teri looked like she'd been slapped in the face.

"You heard me, she thinks she can just waltz in and have my life, she's wrong. And I won't have it"

"You're being stupid." Teri replied

"Am I" I said stopping at the entrance to the castle "Think about it, she's all of a sudden hanging out with him all the time. She's trying to hang out **MY** sister, my sister, no one wants to hang out with Emily, they just do because she scares them. And that fat friend of her she gives me one more pissy look in the common room, and I'm going to punch her in the head." I sighed

"Feel better?" Teri asked laughing

"Slightly." I said pushing the door open "Lets go"

"Your jealous." she continued

"I am not"

"Yea you are"

"And just what would I be jealous of"

"The fact that he's hanging out with a girl who has two brain cells together. Face it Amy you always had his girls in that department. But Zim, she's got brains, almost as many as you do, and that scares the crap out of you."

"Shut up"

"See you do like him, your subconscious is showing, you want him all to yourself. And damn any girl that gets in your way."

"Don't psychoanalyze me"

"Don't make it so easy"

We were almost to the hospital wing, which was a good thing because I was about to strangle my friend.

"You do like him, don't you?" she was beaming. I shot her a look "I knew it this is great."

"Teri seriously stop, your delusional."

"There is nothing wrong with being into him you know, him better ten anyone." she was practically jumping up and down " And, and he'd actually nice to you."

I glared at her "I do not like him." I said pushing open to door to the hospital wing. And there stood the Gryfindor team covered in mud. I scanned the room, minus their captain. 'That little asshole' my blood was starting to boil. The twins turned and glanced at me. They knew where this situation was going to lead.

Percy smiled at me from the end of the bed. "How the hell did you beat me here?" He just grinned and shrugged

"How's he doing?"

Angelina turned to me tears streaming down her face. "Pomfrey says he's going to be fine. Just knocked out is all"

"Good, anyone know where my sister went off to?"

Hermione's turn to answer, "She was crying so she went to her dorm."

"Emily was crying?" she nodded "Why?"

But no one answered me

"Ok and your captain?"

One of the twins answered "Showers"

"Still?"

"Maybe he thinks drowning is the way to go" the other replied

"Thanks" I turned and marched out of the hospital wing, with Teri hot on my tail.

"Amy we just got out of the rain."

"He's going to see is teammate, stay here if you like."

"Your not going down there by yourself, plus I have to get Hugh anyway."

"Uh Huh" I was soaked to the skin; my jeans were so wet they were rubbing my legs funny. My pale pink shirt, completely transparent, and the gray zip up was dripping as we walked down the hallway. My shoes were also making a disgusting noise when I stepped down.

My hair was sticking to my face in thick patches and my cheeks were red from the wind and cold. I was so mad at him I was shaking partially from the cold, but mostly from anger.

Hugh was standing at the entrance to the locker rooms holding a huge umbrella. With every hair in place, outfit completely perfect, and dry by the way. "Cold girls?" He asked as Teri ran under the umbrella with him

"Your dry and therefore I hate you" I replied

"Oh if only you really meant that" He replied "You don't look that much like a drowned rat"

"Thanks, I appreciate that Randall"

"There are a whole bunch of people in there, people who shouldn't be, people who weren't even playing," He meant Ryan, he and Teri must have spoken about me.

I shot her a dirty look and pushed the door to the changing room open. About 15 boys turned to look at me. "Cover up what you don't want seen." I said as I moved to the center of the locker room.

Cedric stepped forward. "I'm…"

"Stop I don't care about the game."

I could see all their eyes shift to the floor. Steam billowed from the showers. "In there?"

"Yeah" Cedric answered

I walked over to the where the entrance to the shower bay and could barely make out his figure within all the steam "Get up your going to see Harry."

He jumped up and grabbed the towel hanging on the hook next to him. "You can't be in here."

"I already am in here." I stopped and starred him down being as intimidating at possible "Now get dressed your going to see Harry."

"I can't"

"You can and you will, now go get dressed"

"It's over Am"

"What?"

"All I've worked for, for 6 years over"

"And you blame Harry?"

He didn't answer for a while just stared at the water hitting the tile

"No" came his slow reply "I blame the dementors, and Diggory for not being affected" he pointed out into the locker room

"Oh Oliver" I could see he was fighting back tears

"Oliver needs a hug"

"Oliver needs some pants"

"Oliver needs a hug," He repeated with his arms open waiting.

"Fine" I stepped forward into his arms and he squeezed me tight, really tight.

His bare chest, correction, his very toned wet very warm bare chest, was pressed into my cold frame, causing me to shiver in his arms.

"Cold?"

"Freezing, all for you."

"Thanks" he said pulling me tighter; he rubbed my arms, to try to warm me up. "Your cheeks are red."

He continued rubbing the back of his fingers along my face, stopping at my chin tilting my face up so that he was looking into my eyes, deep into my eyes. I could see so many emotions in his as he stared at me.

His face moved towards mine, until his lips were gently touching mine, ever so slightly. We'd kissed before, but this was different their was something almost electric in his touch, When I didn't pull away, he deepened the kiss, his hands had moved down to the low of my back pressing me closer to him.

I ran my hand along his back, up into his hair, my mind was telling me this was a horrible idea, but these was something about his touch that I couldn't ignore, or pull away from.

We were locked in this, for a few moments before reality hit me, and I pulled away.

"Oh god" was all I could say "I have to go."

I turned on my heel and tried to bolt from the room. He reached for me to stop.

"Amy wait" he started "this isn't wrong"

"This is very wrong, you're in a towel for god sakes"

"I can fix that."

"No, no I have to go" and I was out of their faster then I thought possible. Cedric called after me, and Ryan just laughed. It was still pelting down rain; Teri and Hugh were locked together under the umbrella when I pushed the door to the locker room open. I ran past them, when Teri caught sight of me.

All I could hear as the beginning "Amy, what's…" I assume the rest was wrong, but I didn't care, I needed to get away from everyone. 'I don't believe this' I thought to myself. The rain was still pouring as I walked around the grounds.

I couldn't go back to the castle, people would be looking for me there, more specifically Wood, would be looking for me.

I just couldn't deal with this all right now, I had just been making out with my best friend, in the shower, with him in a towel. I dropped my head into my hands.

I walked over to the edge of the lake where the squid was playing in the storm, and sat on a boulder, letting the cold icy rain hit me. I was numb inside and out.

What was I thinking, I had felt this coming, and the two of us had gotten closer than I thought was possible. I knew things about this boy that no other person would ever know. But something in our relationship dynamic had changed; there was something about him that made me want to be with him.

I don't know why I had denied it for so long. But it was still not something I wanted to deal with. "Are you really willing to risk everything, for a relationship that probably won't last" I said out loud my voice lost to the wind.

Pulling my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them resting my chin on my knees, the old stone making my ass numb. Lightening rumbled and thunder forked around me and I didn't even care. I just sat there for an indeterminate amount of time, before I noticed that the tips o my fingers were turning blue.

"I should probably head back now" I again said out loud to the wind, the squid was still loving the cold rain, it made me laugh out loud.

The walk back to the castle was incredibly muddy and gross, but I was so disgusting already I couldn't bring myself to care. No one was out and about today, and as I looked up at the magnificent castle, the candles could be seen flickering in all the windows. 'The common room should be nice and warm' I though to myself as I pushed open the great big front door.

I hadn't made it to the staircase when from behind me I heard "Where the hell have you been?" It as my sister, "Do you know how many times we've searched the school for you?" I just continued to walk "Wood, Teri, Megan, me, huh do you know"

"I thought it was a rhetorical question"

"At least ten times, at least," she stated throwing her hands into the air "No one thought you were dumb enough to stay outside in this for 6 hours."

"Was I really out there that long" I shrugged "Time got away from me"

"What were you doing?"

"Thinking"

"In the rain?"

"Uh huh"

"Where?"

"By the lake"

"Your crazy"

"Probably"

"You are going to get sick"

"I'm going to shower now, go away"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight again"

"You can't go into the prefect bathroom"

"Then I will wait outside of it"

"If you wish"

This conversation took place on our way to the tower through the common room and into my dorm.

I kicked my trunk causing the top to pop open. I was storing extra clothes in there, the ones that wouldn't fit in the wardrobe. I pulled out a light purple hoodie, and dark blue jeans and moved to my dresser, to get dry under stuff including a white muscle tee. My sister was sitting at the end of my bed staring at me

"What did he do?"

"Who?"

"Who? Wood that's who."

"What makes you think he did something?" I grabbed my kit and folded my clothes and left the room unfortunately Emily followed

"Because he was really freaked out, which led me to believe something happened" she stopped "And Teri said you bolted from the locker room."

I didn't answer but held the curtain back for her to enter the bathroom.

She was staring a hole into the back of my head. I went into the shower area and turned on the hot water and waited for the tub to fill.

"I'm cold," I said

"You're shaking"

"I noticed," I said walking behind the blind and getting into the tub.

"What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything." We sat in silence while I slowly regained feeling in my body. Emily hadn't said anything in awhile which is slightly frightening.

"He kissed me"

"So"

"Like really kissed me"

"Tongue?"

"Yea"

"About time"

"Shut up" she couldn't see me because of the blind, but I could see her outline. I stood up, drying myself off, pulling my dry clothes on.

"Do you have your wand?" I questioned

"Yea"

"You know the drying spell"

"Yea"

"Help me out here" she jumped off the counter and took my clothes from me, and with a single flick they were dry, and clean 'Good job sis' I thought

"Hair to?" she asked

"Please"

"Sit" And with another flick my hair was dry, Turning around she did the same to my shoes.

"Thanks"

"Where's your wand?"

"Up in my trunk, I hope" We left the bathroom and began walking "Are you going to the tower?"

"Yes"

"Bring these," I offered her my clothes "I'm starving"

"Ok" and with that we parted ways.


End file.
